RESOLUTION - Safeguarding unity and democratic values in the European Jewish student movement against rising extremism

Preamble:

The European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) was founded on the principles of democracy, pluralism, solidarity, and Jewish peoplehood. As a broad and inclusive student network, EUJS has long brought together diverse voices and perspectives within the Jewish world - secular and religious, liberal and traditional, across different political and Jewish backgrounds. However, in recent years, our shared space has increasingly been challenged by rising ideological radicalisation on both ends of the spectrum. On the one hand, a small but vocal segment of anti-Zionist and far-left Jewish voices seeks to delegitimise Jewish self-determination and reject the consensus on the centrality of Israel to Jewish identity. On the other hand, far-right and ultranationalist elements and revisionist movements in Europe have shown patterns of intolerance, anti-democratic rhetoric, and exclusionary behaviour, threatening the cohesion and democratic integrity of Jewish student life.

EUJS notes that:

1. Recent years have seen a notable rise in extreme-right nationalist discourse among Jewish youth movements in certain European countries, sometimes aligned with political parties or ideologies that undermine the values of democracy, the rule of law, and human dignity.

2. Factions within historically Zionist youth movements have veered toward radical nationalism, in direct contradiction to democratic student organising.

3. Simultaneously, voices from extreme-left anti-Zionist circles within Jewish spaces have sought to delegitimise the very existence of Unions as a representative body of Jewish students. These voices deny the right to Jewish self-determination and falsely equate Zionism with the oppression of Palestinians.

4. These phenomena, while numerically marginal, pose a strategic threat to the unity and credibility of Jewish student representation in Europe, and risk alienating the broad democratic centre that forms EUJS’s foundation.

5. Both forms of radicalisation often target other Jews with hostility, gatekeeping, and harassment, undermining our shared goal of a diverse and inclusive movement.

EUJS believes that:

1. EUJS must remain a unified space grounded in democracy, pluralism, and mutual respect, representing the wide spectrum of Jewish student life while rejecting both authoritarianism and internal delegitimisation.

2. There is no place within EUJS for ideologies that incite hatred, glorify violence, or undermine the rights of others within our movement, whether they stem from the far-right or the far-left.

3. Jewish students have a right to feel safe and heard within their representative institutions, free from intimidation or ideological policing.

4. Strengthening a pan-European democratic consensus is essential to safeguarding our shared institutions and resisting imported culture wars or extremist tendencies.

EUJS resolves to:

1. Condemn ideological extremism from both the far-right and far-left within Jewish student contexts, that promote hate, such as revisionist Zionist, Kahanist, or anti-Zionist positions which negate Israel’s right to exist or are based on anti-democratic sentiment, especially when such ideologies threaten the safety or legitimacy of fellow Jewish students. EUJS does not cooperate with ultranationalist or far-right movements, nor with anti-Zionist Jewish organisations.

2. Monitor developments within European Jewish youth and student movements, including the radicalisation of factions that promote authoritarian, ultranationalist, or anti-democratic views and actively oppose their influence on EUJS member unions. EUJS supports its member unions in countering such movements and organisations, when and where the unions express the need for it.

3. Develop educational programming and leadership training that emphasises democratic values, pluralism, and community responsibility, especially in contexts where ideological polarisation has taken root.

4. Strengthen mechanisms for safeguarding the internal culture of EUJS, which Unions can adapt, including codes of conduct, mutual respect guidelines, and institutional responses to intra-community harassment or intimidation.

5. Support and amplify the democratic centre of Jewish student life, the vast majority who believe in nuanced dialogue, cross-communal respect, and shared responsibility for Jewish futures in Europe.

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