Union of Jewish Students
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The Union of Jewish Students of the United Kingdom and Ireland (UJS) was founded in 1973 and claims to represent a constituency of approximately 8,000 Jewish students, with somewhere between five and six thousand being members of its affiliated Jewish Societies (J-Socs) on individual campuses.
Founded with the aim of challenging both anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, the organisation is a staunch defender of Israeli policy and it is for this role that it has the widest recognition within the student movement.
UJS is an extremely well funded organisation, employing 11 recent graduates (increasing in 2004 from 9 with the addition of a dedicated Israel Officer and an Inter-Faith Dialogue Officer) alongside several support staff. UJS also takes a leading role in the politics of the NUS with at least one member of the National Executive Committee being closely linked to UJS for many years. Through this it dominates the NUS Anti-Racism and Anti-Fascism campaigns. Generally UJS is seen as one of the more right-wing factions within NUS, though generally allies itself with Labour Students electorally, and in other areas.