New York
06 March 2009
New York lawyer and Jewish community activist Menachem Z. Rosensaft has been appointed General Counsel of the World Jewish Congress, WJC President Ronald S. Lauder announced today. Rosensaft, who drafted the WJC’s new constitution which was adopted this January at the organization’s 13th Plenary Assembly, will serve as an officer of the WJC and a member of its Executive.
The son of two survivors of the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, Rosensaft has long been a leader in Holocaust remembrance activities. He is Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell Law School where he teaches a course on World War II war crimes trials. He is also the Founding Chairman of the International Network of Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, a former National President of the Labor Zionist Alliance, and Honorary President of the Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan. As general counsel of a major New York Stock Exchange financial services firm, he was instrumental in guiding the firm through a period of intense regulatory and governmental scrutiny, and implementing good governance practices.
“I have known Menachem for many years and have come to rely on his judgment and counsel,” said President Lauder. “The combination of his more than 20 years experience as an international and securities litigator, his dedication to the Jewish people and to Jewish causes, and his absolute integrity will be a tremendous asset in the WJC’s ongoing commitment to ensure good governance, compliance and transparency as we move forward to accomplish our mission.”
The World Jewish Congress is the international organization representing Jewish communities in 92 countries. Founded in Geneva in 1936, the WJC serves as the diplomatic arm of the Jewish people to governments and international organizations.
