We are thrilled to announce that WUJS Congress will indeed be taking place this year! After having to cancel original plans in Jerusalem in wake of the war, it was not an easy decision nor a simple organizational task for us to relocate the Congress. We ultimately came to the conclusion that WUJS Congress is what we need, now more than ever, as young Jews, activists, leaders and friends. Therefore the event will be going ahead as planned, under the following dates:
Where? Prague, Czech Republic
When? Thursday 28th December - Monday 1st January
This year we will not be celebrating WUJS’ Centennial year, as was initially wanted to. In order to honor our board members, friends and family in Israel who are undergoing a tragic war right now, our program will include more sessions around Israel, advocacy, and how to support each other during this time.
Inevitably, the 7th of October left a mark on all of us and no conversation around Jewish activism is exempt from this topic currently. Similarly, we will still have many of the originally planned sessions, many given by partners, external speakers and including a Yalla WUJS. We are also using the opportunity of being in Prague to include the city in our programming and will be meeting with policymakers, officials and exploring local Jewish connections.
To recognise the hard work of so many of our students during these truly challenging and unprecedented times, we will continue to honor them during an awards ceremony. Since the Congress is taking place during New Year’s Eve, we are doing our best to plan an event that acknowledges this night while accommodating everybody in the most respectful way possible.
Our aim ultimately is to provide a space where every single participant can process the past few months in the way that they wish and use our network to support them during this time. We are aware that not everyone has had the same experiences, and that among us are many Israeli students who are fighting the war on the front line to protect our country and Jews worldwide. We want to be respectful to them, to the NUIS delegation that is unable to attend fully, to two of our board members currently fighting in the frontline and to the many victims and families of victims that continue to suffer and see no end in sight yet. We ask that you do the same.
WUJS has always been a unique organization which bridges the gap between Israeli students and diaspora Jewry and we believe that by raising awareness and not shying away from the difficult topics during our Congress, we can live through this war together a little bit better, united around the world.
We’re looking forward to seeing you in Prague very soon and please remember to follow the instructions above. More information will be shared with participants soon.
The WUJS Team
Comentarios