Esther Offenberg elected next UJS President
Israeli-German psychologist sees off challenge from Lauren Keiles and Joanna Phillips
Joe Millis is a journalist
Esther Offenberg has been elected the new President of the Union of Jewish Students.
Israeli-German psychologist Offenberg, who studies at the University of Birmingham, who won 52.9 percent of the third round votes, saw off challenges from Lauren Keiles of Leeds University (47.1 per cent) and Joanna Phillips of the University of Bath, who was eliminated at the second round with 8.8 percent of the 986 votes.
The UJS President-elect said: “Thank you to everyone who voted, everyone who was by my side throughout these elections and also thank you to Lauren and Joanna for being such great candidates and running incredible campaigns.
“This election year already started off great with the first of having all female candidates and in the year to come I am excited to see more regional work with our campuses, having more student led initiatives surrounding mental health, celebrating all of our identities and so much more.
“I am looking forward to implementing my manifesto and working with our student community to shape our Union, so we continue to be the best voice of Jewish students we can be.”
And the next President of UJS is…..Esther Offenberg!!! pic.twitter.com/oZ1zE6aBOj
— Union of Jewish Students (@UJS_UK) December 9, 2018
Esther’s manifesto covers a wide range of important topics. One of her focuses will be Social Action, introducing new initiatives and events across campuses.
As an Israeli, engagement with the country is close to her heart, and she is planning on creating a conference to discuss and educate about social, political, cultural and religious issues in Israel and the Middle East.
Esther also wants to ensure that J-Socs within the same region can work together on important and pressing campaigns, further connecting a network of J-Socs. This way, she plans on strengthening connections to be able to stand up and combat antisemitism effectively.
Furthermore, the President-elect plans on creating more Mental Health support with a peer-led support network, as well support for international students.
Current President Hannah Rose said: “Congratulations to Esther on her election! I am proud to have a woman successor, leading, defending and enriching Jewish life on campus in the 100th year of UJS.
“I would also like to congratulate the other two candidates, their teams and all the Jewish students who participated in this election. It is so inspiring to see almost 1,000 Jewish students engaging in our democracy, having their say and shaping their union.
“Every year, UJS conference shows that our student community cares about what we do, and proves this by engaging in the debates at conference. We have passed some incredible motions this year, and I have no doubt the President-elect will do a great job implementing these in her mandate. We will continue to work to be unified and not uniform, using our diversity as our strength and celebrating Jewish life on campus.”
So so proud of this phenomenal woman from the best jsoc ever (and zionist outpost) @BirminghamJSoc. Commiserations to the other candidates, especially @LaurenKeiles – you are brilliant and cannot wait to see what wonderful things you get up to next #ujselects #ujsconf18 https://t.co/vOF7UaeQW8
— Izzy Lenga (@izzyjengalenga) December 9, 2018
Meanwhile, UJS passed a motion supporting Israel’s democratic civil society organisations, such as Breaking the Silence, Yesh Din and B’Tselem.
Proposed by Noah Libson of Goldsmiths University, London, the motion said: “UJS represents a proud Zionist voice, one which supports Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. As such, we have the responsibility of defending and protecting Israel when it is slandered, but also ensuring that civil society organisations such as Breaking the Silence, Yesh Din and B’Tselem can continue to be part of and uphold Israeli democracy.”
The motion added that these organisations “ensure that the [Israeli] government maintains democratic principles such as equality and freedom of expression – principles laid out in the Declaration of Independence as essential components of the Jewish and democratic state of Israel.”
However, it warned that these organisations were “threatened by anti-democratic policies proposed to the Knesset and an increasingly hostile and shrinking democratic space, where those who are supposed to be safeguarding these principles of democracy – members of the Knesset – often publicly”.
Among other motions adopted at the conference reiterated UJS’ support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and support for tackling male mental health, as well as having a UJS bloc at Pride.
UJS also supported calls for a second referendum on Brexit – also known as the People’s Vote.
Jewish students who are supporters of For our Future’s Sake – a youth and student-led campaign – debated whether to support a People’s Vote, proposed by Gabe Milne, a student from Sheffield, and seconded by Sally Patterson from Bristol University and Nathan Boroda from Warwick University and the motion overwhelmingly passed.
The motion, called “A Brexit Deal that works for Students”, said “if the deal is voted down in Parliament on 11 December, UJS should stand with Jewish students studying across the EU and the UK, join the fight against the far right and support a People’s Vote on the Brexit Deal.”
Boroda said: “I’m proud that once again Jewish students are making their voices heard, on the biggest issue in politics right now. It’s clear that this Brexit Deal will hurt us as students – limiting our opportunities and undermining the economy – and as part of the Jewish community – where Brexit is giving rise to the far right.”
The conference was addressed by Lord Pickles, who lit the Chanukah candles, Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Lord Dubbs and NUS President Shakira Martin, who reiterated her support for Jewish students in their fight against antisemitism.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
