The World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS ) (; ; ; ) is the international, pluralistic, non-partisan umbrella organisation of independent Jewish student groups in 38 countries. The World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) aims to connect, represent, and empower Jewish students globally, promoting the unity and participation of these students in advancing the Jewish people's aspirations, continuity, and cultural heritage.WUJS http://www.wujs.org.il/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=140
Its headquarters are located in Jerusalem, and its elected president is Ariela Di Gioacchino.
In March 2002, in partnership with the Education Department of the Jewish Agency For Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) disseminated the "Hasbara Handbook: Promoting Israel on Campus." This guide served as a resource for activists to effectively communicate and defend Israel's position in response to various accusations related to perceived hostilities or terrorism at the height of the second intifada. The handbook underscored the strategic use of language, providing nuanced rebuttals to common criticisms. It advised on the selection of terms and phrasing to present Israel's actions and policies in a manner that is intended to resonate with uninformed or skeptical audiences on college campuses. The guide was part of a broader effort to influence campus discourse surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to support pro-Israel advocacy.
History Founded in 1924 by Hersch Lauterpacht with Albert Einstein as its first President, other previous Chairpersons have included Maurice Perlzweig, Yosef Abramowitz and David Makovsky.
While Einstein served as President of WUJS, his vice-presidents included Chaim Weizman, Chaim Nachman Bialik and Sigmund Freud. Einstein was succeeded by Ernst Bergmann, who was himself succeeded by David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of the State of Israel. On January 1, 2023, WUJS elected its new president, Yana Naftalieva.
1924–1929
Plans for an international organisation of Jewish students emerged during conferences of Austrian Jewish students in 1922 and 1923, before being formally adopted at a founding congress in Antwerp in April 1924.
The World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) was founded in Antwerp, Belgium, in April 1924 by representatives of Jewish student organisations from seventeen countries. The organisation emerged in response to increasing restrictions on Jewish students' access to higher education in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, particularly through numerus clausus policies and other forms of discrimination. Zvi (Hersch) Lauterpacht served as chairman of the provisional executive committee and was elected the organisation's first chairman at the founding congress.
Lauterpacht had studied in Vienna after restrictions limited opportunities for Jewish students elsewhere in Central Europe, experiences that influenced his efforts to establish an international organisation representing Jewish students.
Albert Einstein became involved with the organisation shortly after its foundation and accepted Lauterpacht's invitation to serve as its honorary president in 1925.
The founding congress opened at the Maccabi Sports Hall in Antwerp on 30 April 1924. More than 2,000 people attended the opening session, while seventy-six delegates representing seventeen countries met over four days to discuss the conditions facing Jewish students and establish the new organisation. The congress elected Lauterpacht as chairman and agreed to establish a permanent executive based in London.
The organisation's initial objectives included representing Jewish students internationally, defending their educational interests, promoting cooperation between Jewish student organisations, and providing assistance to students affected by discriminatory university policies.
During its early years, WUJS coordinated efforts to assist Jewish students affected by discriminatory university admissions policies, including advocacy on behalf of foreign Jewish students and support for students forced to continue their studies outside their home countries.
1929–1933
By the end of the 1920s, WUJS was experiencing financial and organisational difficulties. At a meeting in Paris in January 1929, Lauterpacht reported that the organisation lacked sufficient funds to maintain its offices in London and Vienna, publish its proposed periodicals or undertake much of the cultural and relief work envisaged at its founding congress. The meeting nevertheless noted that WUJS had secured concessions for foreign Jewish students in Czechoslovakia and had supported efforts to protect the rights of students compelled to study abroad.
The organisation continued to address the worsening position of Jewish students in Europe as antisemitic agitation and restrictions on access to higher education intensified. WUJS and its affiliated organisations sought to assist students studying outside their home countries, although many Jewish students who had relocated to France experienced severe financial hardship.
WUJS representatives also participated in meetings organised by the International Student Service, where they raised concerns about antisemitism and the treatment of Jewish students. In 1930, a WUJS delegation participated in an International Student Service conference at Oxford, which devoted part of its proceedings to relations between Jewish and non-Jewish students. The following year, WUJS was among eight student organisations represented at a conference in Geneva supporting international disarmament.
A WUJS congress held in Antwerp in September 1930 under Lauterpacht's presidency failed to restore sustained organisational activity. Renewed efforts to convene an international congress began in 1932 as conditions facing Jewish students deteriorated, particularly following the growth of the Nazi movement in Germany.
The next congress opened in London on 2 August 1933, several months after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Albert Einstein, who had left Germany, sent a message calling for international safeguards for German Jews and warning that persecution would force many into exile. The opening session was presided over by the philosopher Samuel Alexander, and the congress considered the position of Jewish students in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
Maurice Perlzweig was elected chairman, while Lord Melchett was elected treasurer and Lauterpacht remained a member of the executive. Einstein continued as president, with honorary vice-presidents including Alexander, Chaim Nachman Bialik, Simon Dubnow, Sigmund Freud, Sir Philip Hartog, Stephen Wise, Chaim Weizmann and Moses Schorr.
1933–1939 Maurice Perlzweig, a young, British Liberal rabbi, was elected chairperson at the 1933 Congress. By 1936, Perlzweig was also a leader of both the Zionist Organization and the World Jewish Congress, which he had helped to create. The World Jewish Congress was to become one of WUJS' main support mechanisms after the war, and continued to be so up until the present day. In 1939 the offices of WUJS moved to Switzerland for the duration of the Second World War. While little is known of WUJS activities during the period of the war, it is known that WUJS members were particularly active in the French resistance. Following the war, the WUJS offices were moved to Paris. A congress was held shortly after the war, and another in 1948. The third congress after the war was convened in August 1950. Shortly thereafter, the new chairperson, Brian Sandelson, and Secretary General Louis Bartfield launched a new global newsletter, but their intention to make this a monthly publication was never realized as WUJS was sorely lacking in funds. The two main programs of WUJS during this time period were International Study Programs – held in both the US and Israel – and representation on a number of international bodies including UNESCO, the World University Service and the International Union of Students.
1962–1969 A new period of WUJS activity began with the appointment of Dan Bitan as General Secretary in 1962. Bitan re-established connections to member unions in Europe and Latin-America and began preparations for the 13th WUJS Congress to take place in Jerusalem. The Congress saw 50 delegates represent 20 countries, with much of the content focusing on post-war related issues. The Congress condemned Jews living in Germany and refused to recognize the German Jewish student union.WUJS HISTORY http://wujs.org.il/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=226 The following Congress saw a more liberal approach to the issue and Jewish students were again recognized from Germany, although motions were passed insisting they should move from Germany and Austria.
But the more open policy toward German Jewish students accepted by Congress was perhaps inevitable considering the new chairperson elected at this event was Michael Hunter, a former Chairperson of the British union, which had long favored the inclusion of German Jewish students within WUJS. In general, the coming years were to be influenced greatly by Hunter's vision. Under his leadership, the World Union began its formal commitment to Zionism and affiliation with the World Zionist Organization. At the same time, perhaps ironically, it began to espouse left-wing political positions in order to continue to be meaningful to a student activist community that was increasingly liberal.
During the summer prior to Hunter's election, WUJS had already begun to move towards a more campaigning union by organizing a seminar in Brussels on "The Situation of the Jews in the Soviet Union." This led to the "European Action on Behalf of Soviet Jewry," a traveling exhibition transported to cities throughout Europe. The ultimate goal of the exhibition, the gathering of signatures for a petition, was achieved quite successfully with 15,000 signatures from the United Kingdom and another 15,000 from across Europe. The campaign received a tremendous amount of publicity, from local newspapers to the broadcast media, including the BBC World Service and Israel Radio. in May 1966, the WUJS campaign climaxed in London with a demonstration over 1,000 people strong in front of the Soviet Embassy.
The 1967 Six-Day War changed the political dynamics WUJS operated in. While the war won Israel unprecedented support from most sectors of the Jewish community, the new territorial realities of 1967 prompted a strong wave of anti-Israel sentiment from other camps. This "New Left" sentiment was heard loudly on campus and forced the Jewish student movement to reassess its positions regarding Israel, Zionism and its own self-definition. Such assessments began at the 14th WUJS Congress, held at Ramat Rachel months after the war. The venue itself was symbolic, as only two months earlier it had been an outpost along the Jordanian border. With Israel's June victory, it had become a part of extended Jerusalem, miles from Jordanian territory. The Congress included Shabbat in the newly liberated Old City and was addresses by Hebrew University Chancellor, Labor Minister Yigal Allon, and Honorary WUJS President, David Ben-Gurion. Also symbolic of new perspectives was the election of British-born Chairperson Mike Hunter and Latin American-born Secretary General Edy Kaufman.