Dan Diker to leave position of WJC secretary general

NEW YORK - Dan Diker will leave his post as Secretary General of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) on January 2, 2013. For administrative reasons, the WJC leadership has decided to revert the WJC Headquarters to New York at the end of this year. Mr. Diker has decided to remain in Israel, where his family resides.

Mr. Diker joined the WJC as Middle East Policy Advisor in June 2009. He became WJC Director of Strategic Affairs in June 2010, was elected WJC Secretary General Designate in December 2010 and was then confirmed as Secretary General in June 2011. Mr. Diker also served as Director General of WJC-Israel from June 2011 until September 2012.

During his time at the WJC, Mr. Diker refocused the policy priorities of the Congress to concentrate efforts on combating the assault on Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. Mr. Diker was instrumental in establishing the Global Coalition for Israel, which brings together - for the first time - 60 international Jewish organizations and seven Israeli government ministries to form a concerted response to the delegitimization of Israel. Under Mr. Diker's leadership, the WJC set a new rights-based agenda for the Jewish state and published "Israel's Rights as a Nation State in International Diplomacy" in cooperation with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Mr. Diker also brought the issue of seeking justice for Jewish refugees from Arab countries to the top of the WJC agenda, and he organized two ground-breaking conferences in Jerusalem and at the United Nations in New York drawing international attention to this issue. Working in close cooperation with the WJC's partner organization, the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians, Mr. Diker championed issues of concern to world Jewry.

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said: "We are all very sorry that Dan will be leaving the WJC. His love of Israel and the Jewish people is second to none. He invigorated the organization with his enthusiasm and dynamism. We wish him well in his future endeavors."

Dan Diker stated: "I thank Ronald Lauder and the WJC leadership for having given me the opportunity to serve at the helm of this distinguished organization. I am now looking forward to focusing on working with the upcoming Israeli government and the Knesset in representing Israel's vital interests."

About the World Jewish Congress

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is the international organization representing Jewish communities in 100 countries to governments, parliaments and international organizations.