Inbar with the Freshers Israel Experience group at Netiv Ha'asara

The Freshers Israel Experience was an eye-opening trip that gave me new insight and knowledge about Israel. The jam packed five days we had in Israel were full of expanding and inspiring educational visits, and talks through the whole of Israel, from Tzfat down to Sderot and Netiv Haasara.

We tackled issues that mattered to us and faced difficult debates with speakers and participants within the group. Being with such a diverse and large group indicated that we all had different opinions and thoughts on different matters. This meant that we encountered others’ views and took them on, helping to enrich our knowledge of strenuous dilemmas involving Israel. 

UJS marked the 100-year anniversary of the Balfour Declaration by hosting a panel event attended by around 50 students. Amos Schonfield of Yachad, Arieh Miller of the Zionist Federation, Sharon Wagner-Zauder of UJIA, Luke Akehurst of We Believe in Israel and Jonathan Farrell of StandWithUs UK discussed the nuances of modern Zionism, the legacy of the Balfour Declaration and whether its vision has been fulfilled.

Two months into the new term, and the exciting projects we have been planning are finally here!

In the last blog, you heard about our freshers’ visits, the Home and Abroad Network launch, our Succot homelessness project and the release of our J-Soc committee handbook. The past month of term has been jam-packed with events, so here’s some highlights from UJS this last month…

Members of Queen Mary's J-Soc with other faith societies, pictured at their 'Ask A...' stall during last year's Interfaith Week

Interfaith Week starts next week and we are very excited to be supporting such a varied range of events at J-Socs across the country. With food tastings, music, learning and study sessions, games nights, debates and shared meals, Jewish students will be spending the next week building bridges with students of other faiths, cultures, religions and backgrounds. 

Kathryn with the other seminar participants in Budapest 

Two weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to participate in a week-long study session in Budapest about combatting online hate speech, focusing on antisemitism and antigypsyism. Run by EUJS, Phiren Amenca and the Council of Europe, it brought together young Jewish and Roma adults from all over Europe. We covered a variety of topics, including the history of antisemitism and antigypsyism, different forms of online hate speech, and how to combat them and protect ourselves. 

UJS’ first ever Bridges Not Boycotts Conference took place on Sunday 29 October 2017, with around 60 students of various faiths, backgrounds and beliefs coming together in Leeds city centre. In a series of panels and keynote addresses, speakers explored the need to foster cooperation and understanding rather than ‘othering’ between the communities involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict. 

UJS is deeply disappointed that UCL Union (UCLU) and UCL have allowed an event hosting Miko Peled and Dr Azzam Tamimi to take place. Despite concerns being raised by UJS, the Jewish Society and the Friends of Israel Society, the Union has insisted that these speakers do not breach their guidelines for external speakers. 

Nominations for the UJS Presidential Election are now open!

It's already been almost a year since Josh Holt was elected UJS President 2017-18. More than 1,000 Jewish students voted last year, and the time has come for you to choose who will succeed him.

Raffles with the group from Freshers Israel Experience 2017 at a viewpoint in the north of Israel

This summer I was privileged to be accepted on the Freshers Israel Experience trip, run by UJS and a few other organisations. It was designed to teach us about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by allowing us to see and hear all the narratives from various sides, and more importantly from the decision makers themselves. It was by the far the most informative trip I have ever been on.

In September 2015, Friday Night Dinners (FND) was set up to provide weekly Friday night dinners for Jewish students living in London. London has 32 different universities across the city and it can be challenging to meet people.