The Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress, which conducts the affairs of the WJC in accordance with the decision of the Plenary Assembly and the Governing Board, gathered in Munich for its biannual meeting, under the leadership of WJC President Ronald S. Lauder. The Executive Committee consists of the President, Vice Presidents, the Governing Board Chairman, the Treasurer, the Chair and Co-Chair of the Policy Council and the Chairmen of the Regional Affiliates.
WJC honors German Chancellor Angela Merkel
As part of this meeting, WJC President Lauder on Monday honored German Chancellor Angela Merkel with the WJC’s annual Theodor Herzl Award, which recognizes outstanding individuals who work to promote Herzl’s ideals for a safer, more tolerant world for the Jewish people. The award ceremony was hosted by Dr. Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community of Munich & Upper Bavaria & WJC Commissioner for Holocaust Memory.
Among its order of business, the Executive Committee adopted a series of resolutions (see below) on matters including: The commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration and death camps, the mandates and efforts of the special envoys and coordinators combating antisemitism, the release of Israeli citizens by Hamas, a call for Jewish unity and religious diversity and a condemnation of the recent Yom Kippur attack in Halle, Germany.
These meetings take place against a critical backdrop of rising antisemitism, in both Germany and the rest of the world. They also take place, significantly, on the one year-anniversary of the deadly antisemitic attack in Pittsburgh and six months following the attack in Poway.
2nd WJC International Meeting of Special Envoys and Coordinators on Combating Antisemitism
The Executive Committee meeting also coincided with the second WJC International Meeting of Special Envoys and Coordinators on Combating Antisemitism, a forum first launched in Bucharest in June 2018.
High-level participants at this meeting include European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism Katharina von Schnurbein, Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight Against Antisemitism Felix Klein, and US Special Envoy on Combating Antisemitism Elan Carr, among others.
Media
WJC President Ronald S. Lauder in Deutsche Welle: Germany should ban neo-Nazi parties, says World Jewish Congress leader
Op-ed by WJC President Ronald S. Lauder in the Jerusalem Post: Angela Merkel deserved the World Jewish Congress Award and here's why