NEW YORK – Delegates at the 14th Plenary Assembly of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), held in May in Budapest, elected a new Executive Committee of the international Jewish organization that represents Jews in 100 countries around the world. The 69-year-old businessman, philanthropist and former US Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder was confirmed as president of the WJC for another four-year term. He has held the position since 2007.
Baron David de Rothschild from France was elected as the new chairman of the WJC Governing Board, which is the highest decision-making body between WJC plenary assemblies. Chella Safra from Brazil was appointed by delegates as the new treasurer of the organization and will oversee the financial management of the WJC. Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress, was elected as chairman and Mervyn Smith from South Africa as co-chairman of the WJC Policy Council, which advises the Executive Committee on matters of policy, programming and the implementation of the mission of the WJC.
The Plenary Assembly also changed the WJC Constitution to ensure that the sitting senior lay leaders of the 12 largest Jewish communities in the world outside Israel – the United States of America, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Ukraine, Australia, Brazil and South Africa – automatically have a seat on the WJC Executive.
Robert Singer, 56, was presented as new chief executive officer and executive vice-president of the WJC. Prior to joining the WJC, Singer spent eleven years in the Israel Defense Forces, twelve years in Israel's Prime Minister's Office and most recently 14 years as CEO of World ORT, the leading international Jewish educational organization.
The following persons will form the new Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress for the next four years:
Members of the WJC Steering Committee
Ronald S. Lauder, WJC President
David de Rothschild, Chairman, WJC Governing Board
Chella Safra, WJC Treasurer
Shai Hermesh, Chairman, WJC Israel (& WJC Vice-President)
Moshe Kantor, Chairman, WJC Policy Council / President, European Jewish Congress
Mervyn Smith, Co-Chairman, WJC Policy Council
Vadim Shulman, President, Euro-Asian Jewish Congress
Evelyn Sommer, Chair, WJC North America
Jack Terpins, President, Latin American Jewish Congress
Vice-Presidents
Guram Batiashvili, Jewish Community of Georgia
Tova Ben-Dov, President, Women's International Zionist Organization
David Bittan, President, Jewish Community of Venezuela
Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich (Ukraine)
Mikhail Chlenov, Chairman, Vaad of Russia
Renee Dayan-Shabot, WJC Vice-President
Boris Fuksman, President, Jewish Confederation of Ukraine
Roger Cukierman, President, Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France
Guiora Esrubilsky (Maccabi World Union)
Eduardo Elsztain, Chairman WJC Business Advisory Council
Saul Gilvich (Uruguay)
Robert Goot (Australia)
Dieter Graumann, President, Central Council of Jews in Germany
Emil Kalo, Member of Board, World ORT
Yuri Kanner, President, Russian Jewish Congress
Mary Kluk, Chairperson, South African Jewish Board of Deputies
Vladimir Kritsman, President, Jewish Community of Kyrgyzstan
Danny Lamm, President, Executive Council of Australian Jewry
Claudio Lottenberg, President, Jewish Confederation of Brazil
Rabbi Joel Meyers, Chairman, WJC-United States
Ariel Muzicant (Austria)
Petr Papousek, President, Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic
Marcos Peckel (Colombia)
Moshe Ronen (Canada)
David Saltiel, President, Federation of Jewish Communities in Greece
Julio Schlosser, President, Delegation of Argentine Jewish Associations
Rabbi Arthur Schneier (USA)
Tamar Shchory (Israel)
Vivian Wineman, President, Board of Deputies of British Jews
Sara Winkowski, Representative, International Council of Jewish Women
Josef Zissels, Chairman, Vaad of Ukraine
Other members of the Executive Committee
Sebastian Azerrad (representing Young Adults)
Andrea Gergely (representing Young Adults)
Lior Herman (representing Young Adults)
Rodrigo Slelatt (representing Young Adults)
Non-voting members of the Executive Committee
Robert Singer, WJC Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice-President
Maram Stern, WJC Associate Executive Vice-President
Menachem Z. Rosensaft, WJC General Counsel
Under the WJC Constitution, a limited number of persons can be co-opted onto the Executive Committee.
President Ronald S. Lauder also announced the establishment of several new WJC committees, including the Holocaust Restitution and Property Council, led by Yuri Kanner, the Business Advisory Council, chaired by Eduardo Elsztain, and a Task Force on Neo-Nazism in Political Party Systems. The newly formed WJC Jewish Professionals’ Network is aimed at bringing together young adults working in Jewish communities around the world. Moreover, a WJC Think Tank on Campus Hasbara and a WJC Young Leadership Institute are also to be formed.
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.