Thanks to the UJS Leadership Fellowship grant, I was able to attend the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) Conference and Congress in Berlin from 29 December 2024 to 2 January 2025. This event brought together Jewish student leaders from across the globe and marked the culmination of my term as the UJS representative on the WUJS board.

Typically, the yearly congress takes place in Jerusalem. However, the 2023 and 2024 congresses were both held in Europe – last year in Prague, and this year, significantly, in Berlin. The decision to hold the 2024/25 conference in Berlin was a deliberate one. We wanted it to be not only a practical choice but a meaningful one. Gathering Jewish students from all over the world, visibly and joyfully Jewish, in a city so deeply tied to the history of Jewish persecution – and on the 100th anniversary of WUJS, which was founded in 1924 – felt symbolically powerful.

One moment that particularly stood out was lighting Chanukah candles at the Olympiastadion. Originally built by the Nazi regime as a centrepiece for the 1936 Olympics, it was a site used to promote the idea of Aryan supremacy. To gather there, on Chanukah, with Jewish students from every continent, was a powerful celebration of Jewish resilience.

Beyond the symbolism, the conference was practically valuable. Participants engaged in discussions about WUJS’s future direction and voted on key motions that shape how the union supports student communities. I had the opportunity to connect with other unions – both large and small – and to understand how differently Jewish student life can operate depending on the country and context. It was particularly enriching to work alongside this year’s host union, the German Union, just as it had been interesting last year to experience the Czech Union’s role when Prague hosted. These European congresses offered us a chance to learn from local contexts that differ from the Jerusalem model and to see how Jewish student leadership looks outside our usual frameworks.

It was an important final chapter in my term on the WUJS board, and I’m incredibly grateful to UJS, the Leadership Fellowship, and the grant for enabling me to be part of it.

Samuel Kramer - UJS Leadership Fellow 2023/24