1THIS week, an estimated 10,000 Jewish students across the country will nervously embark on their first weeks at university. The reasons for this nervousness are varied: the new classes they face, once again bumping into old flings on campus, or the $450 for textbooks they will hardly use.
But for many these aren’t the weightiest concerns. While this year students are not beginning the academic year in the shadows of a conflict in Israel, there are still worries.
It is expected that Jewish students will face a barrage of anti-Israel hatred, anti-Zionist academic bias and, increasingly, plain old anti-Semitism.
Indeed, all over the world — though luckily it seems not explicitly in Australia — the next fortnight is “Israel Apartheid Week”.
Organised by a coalition of antiIsrael groups spanning the globe. the week demonises and delegitimises Israel, and dehumanises Jews, Zionists and Israelis with little regard for truth.
With protests and vigils, and perhaps even violent outbursts planned, we can be sure that the remnants of this week will spread to Australia at some point later in the year. This spells trouble for Jewish university students. The prospect that they may not be able to go to university and study in peace, untroubled by those with distaste for their Jewish identity, is deeply concerning.
However, there is a strong voice standing up for them and backing Israel on campus. There is also a collective of passionate students dedicating their time to maintaining the safety and stability of Jewish life, and the continuity of a positive Israel message at Australasian universities.
That voice is the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS), and our permanence and resilience is obvious.
So many Australian Jews have come through the ranks. From AUJS’ heyday fighting against Palestinian Liberation Organisation activists in the 1970s, to the huge boom in Jewish students on campus in the 1990s, we’ve always had a strong presence in the lives of Jewish university students.
And none of this could be truer today. This past summer saw 100 young Australians travel to Israel on AUJS programs, strengthening their connection to their Jewish and Zionist heritage. And continuing that, AUJS just held its annual planning conference, where 50 of the best minds on Australian campuses plotted the course for the coming academic year.
Notably, AUJS is in the process of strengthening its political campaigns. Strong hasbarah (PR) – portraying Israel in a positive light, as a beacon of hope for the Jewish people and, perhaps most importantly, as a friend, ally and partner with shared values and political structures – is an integral part of AUJS’ plan. Perhaps most significantly though, the student group is increasing its focus on leadership and personal development.
So many Jewish community leaders have come from positions of responsibility in AUJS, and it is important to continue that.
The trajectory from youth to communal leadership is a natural one, and by developing the programs and activities offered by AUJS, we can assist the strength of the next generation of the Jewish-Zionist community.
Indeed, as the voice of Australian students for more than 60 years, in these difficult times, AUJS stands strong and ready to defend Israel at the frontline of hatred.
Defying the sometimes low expectations of the younger generation, we take the responsibility of defending the Jewish community and defending Israel against scurrilous claims seriously, and with great confidence in our ability to succeed.
This year will be difficult, and we can only guess what our campus adversaries and international circumstance will throw at us, but know that never before have so many been so ready to continue the legacy of years of campus activism.
This op-ed was originally published in the Australian Jewish News.
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