Bini Guttmann is the President of the European Union of Jewish Students, the democratic and peer-led voice of Europe’s 160.000 young Jews between 18 and 35. He advocates for young European Jewry’s interests at EU-Institutions, the OSCE, and the UN. As a European Activist, Bini is focused on combatting all forms of antisemitism - guiding European universities on how to support Jewish students, endorsed by the European Commission passing the IHRA definition of antisemitism in Europe’s biggest youth organisation - while standing up for Human Rights. At the same time, he focuses on youth inclusion in Jewish communities, elevating the next generation of Jewish leaders.
As President of the Austrian Union of Jewish Students, Bini made the National Union of Students ban BDS from all campuses while leading the community response against the far-right. Bini is 24 years old and from Vienna, where he studied law and political science.
Manifesto
My name is Bini Guttmann. I’m 24 years old and I’m the President of the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS). I’m running to represent young Jews as Future Leadership Representative in the World Jewish Congress Executive Committee!
Growing up in Vienna as the grandson of four Shoah survivors made me realize early that we need to stand up for our Jewish communities. For that reason, I want to continue serving world Jewry and thus contribute to the WJC, making sure young Jews have a voice!
If elected, I want to:
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Empower Jewish youth
- Supporting Jewish communities to increase youth participation
- Innovative solutions to declining membership
- Tackle Antisemitism: Online, on Campus, in the Political Arena & the Streets
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Supporting Young Jews with knowledge from communities
- Sharing successful best practices from youth activism with communities
- Coalition Building with other communities
- Foster positive Jewish identity
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Supporting initiatives that inspire a positive foundation to Jewish identity
- Helping to promote Jewish narratives in broader society
- Youth Inclusion in Jewish Communities
As the head of the umbrella organisation of Jewish Student Unions in 36 European countries, I have been privileged to empower young people to reimagine Jewish communal life in hundreds of different political, social, and religious initiatives. At the start of the pandemic, inspired by the #EUJSCommunityChallenge, it was young Jews who took responsibility, being at the forefront of helping their communities. We cannot afford to disregard the world’s young Jewry. For that reason, I will work to increase youth representation of Jews under 30 in our institutions.
Combating Antisemitism
Whether literally as volunteer security guards, protecting our institutions, on campuses across the globe, or on the internet - often it is young Jews who are standing on the frontlines of the fight against it. During my term as EUJS President, During my term as EUJS President, I worked with the largest student and youth bodies in the world, getting them to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, and providing hundreds of Europe’s future leader’s with antisemitism training. I have stood up against the far-right, to preserve Schechita, to save persecuted young Jews in Belarus, and to defend Israel at the UN!
Succeeding against BDS and the Far-Right
During my time as President of the Austrian Union of Jewish Students, through coalition building, I got the National Student’s Union - the first in the world - to ban BDS from all Austrian University campuses while also leading the community response against the far-right. In the WJC Executive, I want to use those insights to share successful best practices globally while ensuring that young Jews have all the support they need in the fight against antisemitism!
A Positive Jewish Identity for the Future
Very often, when we talk about Jews and Jewish life, we only talk about our challenges, but those do not define us. This is why one of my central goals is fostering a positive foundation to Jewish Identity. In December, EUJS published a guide, endorsed by the Vice-President of the European Commission, on which steps European Universities can take to best support their Jewish Students. Of course, it includes fighting antisemitism forcefully – but it goes beyond that: We need to make sure that positive Jewish narratives become normalized!
When we work together across generations, united for the cause of the Jewish people, we are ready to face today’s problem while making our communities ready for tomorrow! I am the candidate with the energy, vision, and experience to help achieve these goals and represent future Jewish leadership in the WJC Executive.
#Bini4WJC