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Union of Jewish Students elects Esther Offenberg as president
Israeli-German psychologist campaigned on more mental health support and fighting antisemitism
December 10, 2018 09:02
2 min read
Israeli-German psychologist campaigned on more mental health support and fighting antisemitism
December 10, 2018 09:02Esther Offenberg, an Israeli-German psychologist, has been elected the new President of the Union of Jewish Students.
Ms 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 who won 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.”
Ms Offenberg’s manifesto focused on the need for social action and the need for J-Socs to work together within the same region to strengthen their ability to fight problems such as rising antisemitism on campuses.
She also advocated more mental health support with a peer-led support network, as well support for international students.
In a message of congratulations, UJS President Hannah Rose said:“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.”
The Board of Deputies also congratulated Ms Offenberg tweeting: "We look forward to working with you and your team in due course.”
Meanwhile UJS conference 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.”
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, president of the J-Soc at Sheffield University, and seconded by Sally Patterson from Bristol University and Nathan Boroda from Warwick University and the motion overwhelmingly passed.
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.
