Matty Fisher elected to EUJS board

Former UJS officer Matty Fisher has been elected to the board of the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS), securing one of seven Vice President positions in elections held on 15 August in Bulgaria.

The 22-year-old University of Leeds graduate was one of nine candidates competing for the voluntary but influential role, which helps set EUJS strategy on issues ranging from campus antisemitism to wellbeing and international diplomacy. While formally titled board members, all except the treasurer carry the Vice President title.

Fisher, who served as UJS Digital Engagement, Apprenticeships and Careers Officer during the 2023-24 academic year, campaigned on a platform of overhauling EUJS’s digital strategy, strengthening grassroots leadership and careers support, and expanding health and wellbeing initiatives.

He is known for spearheading the award-winning We’ve Had Enough digital campaign documenting Jewish students’ post-7 October experiences, travelling to more than 20 campuses during a year of heightened hostility, and co-coordinating UJS’s largest-ever national convention just months after the Hamas attacks.

If elected, he told Jewish News ahead of the vote, he planned to introduce a monthly Europe-wide leadership webinar series, create an alumni mentorship network, and expand his Jews of IBD project – raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease in Jewish spaces – across EUJS’s 36 member unions.

Despite the UK’s departure from the EU, Fisher has stressed the importance of Britain’s role in EUJS, noting that 10 of its member unions are also outside the bloc. “We never left EUJS,” he said during his campaign. “This is about building Jewish life together.”

Speaking after his win, Fisher said: “I’m deeply honoured to have been elected to the EUJS Board. Over the past month I’ve had the immense privilege to speak to our incredible member unions across Europe, learning how we can better support them and take EUJS forward.

“I would like to extend my gratitude to my campaign team and UJS for their nomination and support throughout. I cannot wait to get started working with the newly elected board to build a more connected, representative and inclusive EUJS.”