The European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) works to strengthen Jewish communities in Europe through promoting Jewish student activism and advocacy. 

At a European Jewish Congress event in Brussels in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Arutz Sheva spoke with EUJS President Benjamin Fischer about the challenges facing Jewish students in Europe.  

Fischer noted that while all university students face hardships, Jewish students in Europe must contend with specific hardships. 

According to Fischer, the most “infamous” challenge is the BDS movement, which has “different faces in different countries” and thus begs for a vast array of strategies to counter it. 

Combat the boycott Israel movement has become a big challenge for Jewish students, Fischer asserts, because it “often turns out into pure anti-Semitism that students face on campus.” 

As a result, he said, Jews begin to hide their identities on campus. “Not wearing the kippah on campus is a reality in most of the European countries.”

Speaking about EUJS’ activities – whether its leadership training seminars, efforts to build cross-cultural coalitions and maintain relationships with major Jewish organizations – Fischer stressed the group’s goal is to “promote a positive picture of Judaism.”