WUJS was founded by Hersch Lauterpacht in Antwerp in April 1924 as a support and action network for Jewish students facing institutional antisemitism, particularly in European universities. In 1925, Lauterpacht recruited Albert Einstein to serve as WUJS’ first President, giving the organisation international visibility and moral authority from its earliest years.
WUJS quickly became connected to leading Jewish intellectual, cultural, and political figures, including Chaim Weizmann, Chaim Nachman Bialik, Sigmund Freud, and David Ben-Gurion. This remarkable network reflected the organisation’s broader mission: to empower Jewish students, strengthen Jewish identity, defend student rights, and build a united international voice against antisemitism.
Throughout its history, WUJS has remained a space where Jewish students could organise across borders, respond collectively to the challenges of their time, and shape the future of Jewish communal life. From its beginnings in interwar Europe to its work today, WUJS has carried forward the belief that Jewish students are not only future leaders, but active voices in the present.