WJC Executive Committee Meeting, 21-23 October 2013

The new Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), which was elected at the Plenary Assembly in Budapest in May, met in Jerusalem from 21 to 23 October 2013 to discuss matters of importance to the Jewish world. Members heard from Jewish community leaders in  Greece, Hungary and Ukraine about the situation with respect to extreme-right political parties represented in parliament.

Israeli government ministers and parliamentarians, including Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, and Knesset members Avigdor Lieberman and Yitzhak Herzog, briefed the WJC leaders notably about the state of the peace process. Texas Governor Rick Perry gave a speech at the opening dinner.

Other topics discussed included the situation of Jewish communities in Latin America, the new EU guidelines on funding which exclude Israeli entities based in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem, limitations to freedom of religion, notably kosher slaughter and religious circumcision, Israel-Diaspora relations, moderate Islam in Central Asia, and the WJC’s young adult initiatives. The Executive Committee adopted several policy resolutions.

The meeting was chaired by WJC President Ronald S. Lauder.

The meeting was preceded by an event hosted by the Israel Council on Foreign Relations, which operates under the auspices of the WJC - "The Middle East Vortex: Views from Washington, Moscow and Berlin'. The event was addressed by the ambassadors to Israel of Germany, Russia and the United States, as well as Ronald S. Lauder.