New team at AUJS
The Australasian Union of Jewish Students has elected its new national Chairperson and Executive at its Annual General Meeting.
Rosa Zwier, Amie Liebowitz, Stephen Machet, Nicola Kobilski, Matthew Lesh, Jenna Shneier, Jacqui Cohen
At the Sydney meeting it was announced that Nicola Kobilski, current NSW President of AUJS, will take the reins from 1 January and succeeds Chairperson Andrew Goldberg from Sydney.
“I am honoured to have been elected as AUJS Chairperson, and to represent both my community and my fellow Jewish students” said Kobilski adding “I will ensure that AUJS is able to develop and grow as an organisation, in order to promote both Judaism and Israel, on and off campus.”
Kobilski is looking to emphasise both Israel and other campaigns, engage participants of AUJS’s Academy, Aviv and Birthright programs upon their return to Australia and develop creative means of bringing disengaged students into AUJS.
“Nicola has been extremely dedicated this year and has made a very significant contribution to AUJS in NSW, and is very well placed to take on the role of Chairperson,” said outgoing-chairperson Goldberg. “She has some very effective strategies which will enable her to implement her vision for AUJS and will do an outstanding job. I wish her well.”
Kobilski is the first female national Chairperson since Jessica Roth in 2008.
Jenna Shneier, current President of AUJS in Western Australia, has been elected as national Vice-Chairperson.
Stephen Machet, President of AUJS in Victoria was co-opted as Treasurer. “It is a promising sign that the state AUJS Presidents of the three largest Jewish communities will lead AUJS into 2014,” said Goldberg.
Each office bearer was called on to provide a report at the AGM. AUJS on campus has had a very active year, with twelve campaigns, five conferences, and dozens of on campus events every month. The AGM was launched with a cocktail function addressed by Jeremy Jones and Greg Shand.
Matthew Lesh from Melbourne, Rosa Zwier from Melbourne, Amie Liebowitz from Sydney and Jacqui Cohen from Adelaide were also elected to the AUJS Executive.
Congratatulations and good luck to the new AUJS executive.
Jewish students deserve every support on campuses.
They also need to take a stronger stand on anti-Israel indoctrination by the likes of Sydney Uni’s “peace and conflict studies” and the tolerance if anti-intellectual bigoted hate-fests like Israel Aparthied Week activities on the same basis that the unis would not tolerate campaigns that use lies to vilify Blacks, homnosexuals, women or, for that matter, mohammedans.
Unis must uphold the ideal of freedom of thought. They must never confuse that with freedom from thought.