The European Union of Jewish Students has issued a strong statement condemning anti-Zionist Jews who it said were being used by groups with antisemitic agendas.

It was crucial to recognise the “potential damage that of anti-Zionist Jewish organisations bring to the image of the Jewish people”, the umbrella body declared.

The statement was signed by the Jewish student unions of 21 countries including the Union of Jewish Students in the UK and those of Germany, France and Russia.

While EUJS respected the “diversity of opinions”, it said it was “essential to shed light on the challenges posed by certain anti-Zionist Jewish organisations when they present themselves as representatives of the voice of the Jewry, with total disregard for the national Jewish bodies democratically elected to represent the Jewish people's interests on a public and institutional level”.

EUJS said it wanted to emphasise the deep connection between diaspora Jews and “the beating of heart of the Jewish people, Israel”.

But it described anti-Zionism as an ideology that advocated for “the dismantling of the state of Israel and denying the right of the Jewish people to self-determination”.

Anti-Zionist Jews were “frequently instrumentalised by organisations with extreme viewpoints, such as BDS, to further their own agenda often loaded with antisemitic ideologies”, EUJS said.

Their actions risked “perpetuating harmful stereotypes and misconceptions about the Jewish community, leading to increased prejudice and discrimination”.

Dismissing anti-Zionist Jewish groups as a “small dissonant voice within the broader Jewish community” the statement accused them of disrupting the unity “that is crucial for fostering a thriving and supportive environment” and “causing significant chaos within our Jewish communities, without taking into account the difficulties and antisemitic incidents our communities have been facing since October 7”.