WUJS is thrilled to announce that the Delegation of Jewish American Students has recently joined the Union as an Ordinary Member Organization. This is very exciting step for WUJS as it’s the first time in years that American Jewish Students receive an official voice within WUJS.
An Ordinary Member Organization (OMO) is an independent Jewish student union whose aims are compatible with those of the Union. This is different from the usual National Member Union status as there can be more than one OMO in any given country. An OMO is under no obligation to show that it is the sole representative of all Jewish students in that country, rather that is, as an independent union represents a portion of them in such a way that is compatible with the aims of WUJS.
DOJAS is a conglomerate organization which consists of the dominant Jewish American organizations that are prevalent among American University campuses. These organizations include AEPi, AEPhi, Chabad, Hillel and Aish. DOJAS aims to provide a voice for Jewish American students and unite the Jewish American students with Jewish students in Israel and worldwide.
WUJS is excited to finally have the American Jewish community be apart of the World Union of Jewish Students after many years of absence. In 1969 the North American Jewish Student Network was founded to serve as the umbrella organization for Jewish students within the U.S. and Canada. The Network reached a rough patch, and the U.S. and Canadian chapters broke off from each other. There have been several attempts to revive the US chapter over the years, but these were met with many challenges. Past experience and research has led to the understanding that an American Delegation is the most realistic approach to involving American Jewish Students in the works of WUJS.
WUJS is looking forward to working with DOJAS and the American Jewish students. We hope to help DOJAS grow and flourish among the American Jewish communities. WUJS is very excited to have the American Jewish students be a part and involved in the student union. This is just the beginning of a new and prosperous relationship!