WHO WE ARE

The European Union of Jewish Students:

The European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) is the sole democratically elected voice at the European level of Jewish youth and young professionals ages 18 to 35.

Founded in 1978 in France, the formation of EUJS assured a strong and independent Jewish student leadership in Europe. Since 1982, EUJS has been operating from Brussels, Belgium. Today EUJS is the umbrella organization for 34 national Jewish student unions in Europe and the Former Soviet Union, representing some 200,000 Jewish students.

Conscious of the responsibilities incumbent upon us as one of the largest student organizations in the world, and the largest Jewish student organization in Europe, we are fighting against injustice, inequality and for the preservation of human dignity. Therefore, we set a strong relationship with youth oriented organizations, both Jewish and non-Jewish, and with institutions who believe in the power of youth as a vehicle for positivechange.

Cognizant of the religious, linguistic and cultural diversity that of his members, EUJS strives to present a variety of perspectives through its leadership training programs, educational and political seminars and international conferences, all tailor-made to the needs of its students. EUJS has placed itself at the cutting edge of inter-cultural and inter-religious programming in the European context.

EUJS is a constituent member of the European Youth Forum (the largest political youth platform on the continent made up of 94 youth umbrella organizations, bringing together tens of millions of young people) and is the only Jewish organization represented at that level. EUJS is the first Jewish Youth NGO to obtain the special Consultative Status to the ECOSOC, United Nations.
It is supported by the Council of Europe (CoE), the European Commission (EC), the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the World Jewish Congress (WJC), The American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and is a member of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS). These pivotal relationships have permitted EUJS to develop into the vibrant organization that it is today.

The Turkish Union of Jewish Students

The Turkish Union of Jewish Students (TUJS) was founded 2004 and is one of the recent unions to become a member of EUJS in 2005. TUJS have been one of the most active member unions of EUJS since its creation.

From the beginning, TUJS has gone from strength to strength both within the Turkish Jewish community as well as in the regional area. Shortly its launch, TUJS organised in cooperation with EUJS a seminar entitled 'Towards a Renewed Identity' which dealt on the issue of the future of Jewish identity. The vision of TUJS is based upon creating a Jewish future and continuity in the region. Dedicated in bringing Turkish Jewish Students together, TUJS, thanks to a close cooperation with the Turkish Jewish community, has been able to create a self-sustainable organization that will be able to cater for the needs of the Turkish Jewish Students in the years to come.

The Turkish Union of Jewish Students is proud, honoured and excited to be hosting the 25th anniversary of Summer-U and is looking forward to welcoming you to the home of baklawas and to the cultural border of the European continent.