Everything we do is based around our core values — cross-communalism, peer-leadership and representation.
Our focus this year is prioritising these values and ensuring our work always reflects them.
We aim to ensure that JSoc and UJS events are open to every Jewish student, regardless of how they choose to express their Jewish identity.
We ensure that our national events such as the Juefa Cup football tournament, our national Friday night dinner (Shabbat UK), and the brand new Jewniversity Challenge are available to any Jewish student currently at university.
A priority for UJS as a union is to focus on what it means to be “represented” and for our processes to be as democratic as possible.
I was elected to my position by fellow Jewish students. We ask JSocs and individuals to submit motions to be voted on by delegates at the UJS conference. The motions decide our policy for the coming year and give students a chance to have their say.
But above all we value the principle of peer-leadership: students running events for other students.
The UJS team are all recent graduates who work solely for and on behalf of our students. JSoc committees all consist of elected students who put themselves forward for leadership roles.
All the programming at JSocs and UJS is peer-led, whether it is a Jewish education programme, Israel engagement initiatives or simply a movie night.
In any given year it is hard to predict how life on campus will play out, but we ensure that JSocs are equipped and trained to deal with any eventualities and we are always there if students need any further support.
Alex Green is UJS President
To get more from opinion, click here to sign up for our free Editor's Picks newsletter.