AUJS receives world-wide recognition
The Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) has been recognised as Union of the Year at the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) Congress Awards Ceremony in Jerusalem.
The 2015 AUJS National Executive: (L-R): Julian Kowal, Elenore Levi, Andrew Schnapp, Sam Meyerson, Dean Sherr, Ashleigh Werner, Michael Fisher, Avia Madar, Daniel Brazil
The Union of the Year award is given to the Jewish student union across the world which has been the most active and innovative student union of the year. It is the most significant of the awards given out annually at the WUJS Congress Awards Ceremony.
In 2014, it was awarded to the ‘Union des Etudiants Juifs de France’ (UEJF), the French Jewish student union, for their remarkable adversity during challenging times for French Jewry.
Michael Fisher holds the award
The award was accepted by AUJS Chairperson-elect Michael Fisher, who served as AUJS National Treasurer in 2015, leading a delegation of 14 AUJS leaders from Australia and New Zealand on the annual AUJS Leadership Development Program (LDP). The LDP group participated in the WUJS Congress as part of the Israel component of its trip, having already visited Washington DC and New York. It will conclude its trip by visiting Mumbai and Cochin in India.
The delegation includes incoming AUJS Presidents in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and New Zealand and is one of the largest AUJS LDP groups in recent history. The group has met with various leaders in public and communal life, including outgoing Australian Ambassador the United States, Kim Beazley, Israeli MKs Tzipi Livni and Hilik Bar; and representatives of organisations including AIPAC; Hillel International; Moishe House; the AJC and more.
2015 AUJS Chairperson Dean Sherr said the award was a great way to be recognised after a hugely successful year for AUJS.
“It’s wonderful to be recognised for a year of significant growth and achievement for the Jewish student movement in Australia and New Zealand; especially to be recognised ahead of so many wonderful Jewish student unions around the world. 2015 has been a highly successful year for AUJS with growth across our membership and engagement on and off campus; and increased attendances across all of our national conferences and many regional events. We wish the incoming executive the best of success and look forward to seeing what they can accomplish.“
The Tel Aviv-based World Union of Jewish Students is made up of more than 40 Jewish student unions and organisations across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. Other active unions include the Union of Jewish Students of the UK and Ireland; the South African Union of Jewish Students; the National Union of Israeli Students; and several member Unions of the European Union of Jewish Students including in Spain, Portugal, the Ukraine, Russia, Switzerland, Hungary and more. WUJS celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2014 since its establishment in 1924, one year before then-academic Albert Einstein became its first President.
A wonderful achievement. However, “remarkable adversity” is perhaps not what the author intended to say in commenting about the UEJF?