European Students Union holds first conference in J’lem

More than 120 students from dozens of countries across Europe will attend the conference, including, according to the organizers, “students that hold negative feelings towards Israel.”

By BEN HARTMAN
The European Students’ Union convened its annual conference in Jerusalem on Sunday, the first time the event has been held in Israel.
The conference, titled “Quality Assurance: The Ultimate Tool?” is being organized by the National Union of Israeli Students, the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, and the Prime Minister’s Office.
ESU chairman Bert Vandenkendelaere said on Sunday that the gathering will include a seminar which will discuss “the relevance of various quality assurance processes, to confirm what really matters for students when they are looking for an institution to study at for a full or partial degree.”
More than 120 students from dozens of countries across Europe will attend the conference, including, according to the organizers, “students that hold negative feelings towards Israel.”
The program includes workshops on quality control in education, as well as meetings with Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edelstein, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, and Gila Gamliel, deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with the portfolio of the advancement of young people, students and women.
The conference will be in Jerusalem for the first three days, before moving to Tel Aviv. Along the way, the students will have the opportunity to visit sites in the North such as Rosh Hanikra, as well as an optional visit to Sderot.
“One of the most vicious fronts of the attack on Israel’s legitimacy is the academic world, whose protests do Israel enormous and unjust damage. Unfortunately, these delegitimization effort as well as the preaching of hatred under the guise of an academic, philosophical or intellectual lecture, both lead directly to anti-Semitic or anti-Israel activity,” Edelstein said.
The minister said he hopes the delegates “remain open-minded and open-hearted” during their visit, and see Israel “as she truly is; an Israel that values and enjoys life, an Israel full of international achievements, an Israel that carries the banner of human rights, minority rights and moral values above all else.”