“Advocacy is My Pride”: This Belgian Leader is Powering Europe’s Jewish Future

Changemaker Eitan Bergman is a prominent voice in Jewish Europe. As the former director of the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS), Bergman helped empower young Jews across the continent through grants, events, and other opportunities. At his side was Junction, the JDC pan-European initiative that inspires rising Jewish leaders to take part in European Jewish life.

This Pride Month, Bergman describes his journey as a Jewish LGBTQ+ leader, the challenges and opportunities European Jews face today, and the vital role Junction continues to play.  

I live by these words: “If you want something done well, do it yourself.”

Advocacy is my way of effecting change, not just witnessing it. It’s a tool for doing things well — a mechanism for taking control of my future, the Jewish future.

I come from Liège, Belgium, a middle-sized European city. Growing up, there weren’t many Jews in Liège, and my parents wanted me to have a link with my heritage. Every Saturday my father took me to Brussels, an hour drive each way, to attend the local Jewish youth group, Hashomer Hatzaïr.

This group was a window onto my identity and the greater Jewish world. It inspired me to make my Jewishness a way of life. 

That’s why, after I graduated from high school, I decided to go to Israel. I wanted to learn Hebrew, and I came back bilingual. I moved to Brussels, studied political science and international relations, and was eager to do something with my Jewish identity. But I also wanted to be an advocate for my Jewish community. 

I thought, “OK, now what?” I didn’t know which path to take, but soon, the perfect opportunity would come my way. 

I was hired by the European Jewish Congress (EJC), the organization representing 42 national Jewish communities across Europe. I spent three years there, and took part in the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, the largest diplomatic event in the history of the State of Israel. At 25, I was honored to be involved in this momentous gathering. Nearly 50 heads of state attended, and walking amongst them motivated me to continue developing myself as a Jewish leader. 

That’s partly what led me to join the European Union for Jewish Students (EUJS), where I was proud to serve as the executive director for three years. 

At EUJS, I was exposed to a vast European Jewish world. EUJS is the umbrella organization for 36 Jewish student unions across the continent. Its mission is to support these unions through training, grants, events, and other resources. This includes Summer U — our signature gathering — which features workshops, panels, networking, and more. Summer U is the largest annual Jewish youth event in Europe. From Spain to Ukraine, Sweden to Italy, EUJS represents the broadest range of European Jewry and is a truly unique and one-of-a-kind organization.

In short, it’s a mammoth institution. I was responsible for steering it, ensuring that we stayed true to our mission and that our team felt motivated. Most importantly, I was charged with what I call “finding leaders.”

I worked with three presidents over my three-year tenure, and I always told them and the rest of the team, “When you walk into a seminar, open your eyes. Our future leaders are in the room.” I wanted to pinpoint potential changemakers — those who would stand at the helm of Jewish Europe. 

 I was also responsible for managing our partnerships — including the one with JDC. 

From day one, JDC was a crucial partner. I always knew I could rely on them — and my main contact with them was through Junction. Junction, made possible thanks to the generous support of Schusterman Family Philanthropies, is the face of JDC for so many European youth, and I see them as having a complementary mission to EUJS. 

With some partners, you do a project, you ask for money, you get the money, and that’s it. But with Junction, it’s never transactional. Junction is unique because it empowers young Jewish leaders like myself at the grassroots level. They’re right there with you, brainstorming ideas for programs and initiatives that are tailored to your community’s needs. 

I liken them to a mentor. Right beside you, there’s someone — like Mike Mendoza and Lela Sadikario, the current and former director of Junction— who has the same exact goal, but comes in with resources and a different perspective. You always have someone to talk to. 

At the same time, Junction doesn’t only provide mentorship for changemakers like myself —  it provides spaces where I can connect to other rising leaders. It’s rare to have a space where young European Jews can exchange ideas and network in a safe space tailored to them. At events like the Junction Annual and Junction Multipliers, you can let your guard down a little more. You can dream big. 

In 2022, I was privileged to attend a Junction Multipliers event in Barcelona. This dynamic experience — in which I met the movers and shakers of Jewish Europe — inspired new possibilities for my own leadership trajectory and reinforced the partnership between EUJS and JDC. 

I wanted more, and so I was invited as a partner and speaker to the 2023 Junction Annual in Berlin. There, I co-facilitated a session called “No Such Thing as a Bad Jew,” an open discussion on the spectrum and diversity of Jewish expression, practice, and identity.

These experiences convinced me of one thing: We desperately need more spaces like Junction, because what European Jews are living through is both similar and different from the rest of the world. 

October 7, 2023, alerted all of us to these challenges. When I woke up that day, the attacks had already been going on for two or three hours. I understood quickly the severity of what was unfolding. I even broke our rule of not using my phone on Shabbat and Jewish holidays to call my colleague, the president of EUJS, Emma Hallali. We immediately agreed that we needed to do something.

We didn’t cancel anything, not even the positive events. I’m extremely proud we made that choice  — this was a sign of our resilience. At the same time, we were there every step of the way for our unions, organizing vigils and gatherings in support of the hostages. The struggle we were about to face in non-Jewish spaces was unprecedented. EUJS was at the forefront of those, especially when it comes to antisemitism on campuses, in 36 different countries, each of them with a specific dynamic.

With antisemitism skyrocketing across the continent, we worked to make EUJS an inclusive and safe space for all Jews. I felt I wasn’t just a witness to these efforts — on the contrary, I had a personal stake in ensuring that European Jewish life was all-embracing and forward-thinking.

I’d long believed that my Jewish journey and my LGBTQ+ journey were completely separate. I just didn’t see the need to synthesize these two parts of my identity. 

All of that changed when I joined EUJS. After speaking with union members, I saw that it’s much more difficult to be LGBTQ+ in certain communities. I grew up in a country where two men or women can marry, and it was disheartening to see that others don’t have basic rights. 

I understood that, because I’m an LGBTQ+ Jew in a position of leadership, I should use my influence wisely. I discovered that I could be a role model for LGBTQ+ Jews, people who may feel like they’re not “Jewish” enough or that there isn’t room for them in certain spaces.  

That’s why, with my fellow president Avital Grinberg, I helped create a grant for union members to promote inclusivity, focusing on those who identify as LGBTQ+, Jews with disabilities, Jews of color, MENA Jews and other often-marginalized groups in our communities, such as women. I also helped organize Jewish LGBTQ+ events in places where queer life is less accessible. 

Leaders like me are here to stay. And I intend to live the way I am — Jewish, gay, and proud. This motivates everything I do here in Belgium and across Europe. 

Advocacy is how I express my pride. It’s my job, but it’s also a kind of love. And thanks to Junction and JDC, I will share this love for many years to come. 

Eitan Bergman, 31, is a political scientist and international relations specialist in Brussels, Belgium. A dedicated leader with extensive experience in Jewish communal institutions, specializing in strategic development, community engagement, and organizational growth, Bergman now serves as a city councillor and parliamentary assistant in the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital region.

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