World Jewish Congress

The 7th WJC National Community Directors’ Forum (NCDF) met in Budapest on 27-28 June 2022 hosted by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Hungary (MAZSIHISZ) in the recently renovated Rumbach Synagogue. The top Jewish community professionals from 48 countries around the world, including for the first time Egypt, gathered together to share experiences and best practices, and discuss some of the main challenges facing their communities. Topics on the agenda included the repercussions of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine on Jewish communities including in Ukraine itself, in bordering countries, in Russia and in other countries, and also the provision of humanitarian aid and relief to refugees and displaced persons; WJC engagement with its affiliated communities; the rise of extremist political parties in many countries; increasing antisemitism globally and bridging the gap in perceptions between Israeli and diaspora Jews.

Prior to the opening of the formal sessions, the Budapest Jewish community welcomed the NCDF professionals for traditional Shabbat services and meals, and a tour of Jewish Budapest included visits to the Dohány Synagogue and other sites of Jewish interest. A memorial service for the victims of the Holocaust was held at the Shoes on the Danube memorial.

Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén addressed the forum describing the recent renaissance of Hungarian Jewry, and State Secretary Dr. Péter Sztáray addressed the formal dinner at the Vigadó Concert Hall, where WJC Executive Vice President Maram Stern warned of expected scapegoating of Jews in response to the predicted global downturn following the COVID pandemic and war in Ukraine.

The NCDF had previously met in Prague, Lisbon, Dublin, Cape Town, Israel, Bucharest.