Revealed: UK’s anti-Semitism training body has alumni in Israeli army and government

The Union of Jewish Students (UJS), which is delivering at least 600 anti-Semitism awareness training sessions for university staff across the UK, is facing scrutiny after a video resurfaced showing its then-president praising UJS alumni serving “in senior positions in the Israeli government, IDF, and even the President’s office.”

In the clip, filmed during a reception with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, former UJS President Nina Freedman is heard telling him:

“UJS alumni are currently serving in senior positions in Israeli government, IDF and even the President’s office.”

UJS will give 600 training sessions on antisemitism in UK unis.

Here, then-President of the UJS, Nina Freedman, tells Israeli President Herzog:

“UJS alumni are currently serving in senior positions in Israeli gov, IDF & even the President’s office.”pic.twitter.com/NtFxmPIuvI

— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) October 13, 2025

The revelation, shared widely on social media, has prompted concerns about impartiality in the government-funded anti-Semitism training, particularly as Israel continues to stand accused of genocide in Gaza by the International Court of Justice.

Under a government programme to tackle anti-Semitism in education, UJS has been awarded a contract by the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver anti-Semitism awareness training to university staff across the UK.

According to the official notice published on the UK government’s Contracts Finder portal, the award, valued at £998,691 ($1.27 million), tasks UJS with helping university staff “recognise and respond to incidents of antisemitic abuse” and to “teach and facilitate discussions on antisemitism, including related topics such as the Israel/Palestine conflict.”

The contract forms part of the DfE’s “Tackling Antisemitism in Education” programme, which sits within a wider £7 million ($8.9 million) government fund announced in 2024 to address anti-Semitism in schools, colleges and higher education institutions.

However, the organisation’s deep institutional links to Israel have long raised questions about its objectivity. UJS’s own constitution commits it to “inspiring Jewish students to make an enduring commitment to Israel,” and the group maintains close ties with the Israeli embassy in London. It has hosted Israeli emissaries with military training on its executive team and organised pro-Israel campus programmes, including Birthright trips and visits by Israeli diplomats.

Read: The pro-Israel lobby is colonising British academia with one smear campaign after another

In her address to Herzog, Freedman went further, describing UJS as a political incubator for young Zionist activists:

“UJS is on the frontline of the fight against antisemitism, anti-Zionism and anti-Israel bias. We are committed to shining a positive light on Israel’s successes and encouraging students to take an active role in defending Israel, whether that’s on social media, in student unions, or through advocacy.”

She added, “I feel so lucky to have gone through the UJS machine,” calling it an experience that “incubates young Jewish activists.”

These revelations are likely to raise further concerns over the conflict of interest at the heart of the UK government’s decision to outsource anti-Semitism training to UJS.