UJS president hopefuls issue election pledges

VOTING IN the presidential election of the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) got under way this week, with all three candidates releasing videos and publishing their manifestos.

Hannah Rose, Lawrence Rosenberg and Annie Cohen all set out their visions for UJS, which represents 8,500 Jewish students in the UK and Ireland.

In her campaign video, Ms Rose, a fourth-year student at Bristol University and former Jewish Society vice-president, said she wanted to represent all the union’s members, not “the 150 students on Jsoc committees, or the 300 students involved in Israel campaigns”.

Her manifesto commitments included delivering mental health first-aid training for Jsoc committees, working with the National Union of Students to include kosher food suppliers on the NUS discount card, and producing training for universities and student unions on tackling antisemitism.

Annie Cohen, who describes herself as a “non-zionist” and is an activist with the far-left Jewdas group, produced what she called her “Anniefesto”. If elected, she aimed to forge a partnership between UJS and the Jews for Justice for Palestinians group.

“As a Jewish Palestine solidarity activist,” she said she was “well placed to mediate between JSocs and Palsocs”.

Her other aims included “raising awareness of and raising money for the UJS hardship fund”, which helps vulnerable Jewish students.

Mr Rosenberg’s video emphasised his previous role as president of the Manchester Jsoc, saying that he “fought against the vicious rhetoric of the BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions… and [was] honoured to be able to bring kosher food to my [Jewish student] community [at the university] for the very first time.

His campaign pledges included “rebuilding relationships with key university staff and students from across the country”, as well as for UJS to play a more active role on “helping [school] students understand the realities of university life”.

Voting continues until December 8 with the result due to be announced two days later during the union’s annual conference.