WJC Completes Marathon Briefings with Top Israeli Officials
28 Aug 2006"At no time in our history have the State of Israel and the Jewish people needed the diplomatic efforts of the World Jewish Congress as they do today."
28 August, 2006
Jerusalem
Senior leaders of the World Jewish Congress completed two days of intense briefings with top government and military officials concerning the conflict in Lebanon and the growing dangers posed by the world’s largest state sponsors of terror -- Iran and Syria -- and their proxies.
“These terrorists and their state sponsors are our greatest challenge,” said World Jewish Congress President Edgar M. Bronfman following a meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. “They pose an existential threat to the State of Israel and threaten Jewish communities worldwide from Buenos Aires to Istanbul.”
As a result of the meetings, the World Jewish Congress and the Israeli government will advance their cooperative efforts with governments and international organizations to stop the spread of terrorism and prevent the use of anti-Semitic moral equivalency that has been proliferating since the start of Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israel.
“Around the globe, the international community condemns, vilifies and demonizes Israel for defending its people with the worst moral equivalency and anti-Semitic double standard,” said a senior government official during the private briefings. “Meanwhile, Jewish communities from Seattle to Sydney are reporting an alarmingly sharp increase in violent anti-Semitic activity.”
“At no time in our history have the State of Israel and the Jewish people needed the diplomatic efforts of the World Jewish Congress as we do today,” said another minister at the end of a confidential briefing.
“The WJC is redoubling its efforts to work in corridors of power to garner international support for diminishing the terrorist threat to Israel and the world,” explained Israel Singer, Chairman of the WJC Policy Council. “The WJC is also leading the charge to hold state sponsors of terrorism like Iran and Syria accountable for their murderous actions and violence-inducing rhetoric. At the same time, the WJC is connecting scattered and isolated Jewish communities, helping to provide increased security and a sense of solidarity and comfort.”
World Jewish Congress regional leaders and their local affiliates have made several visits to Israel in recent weeks. Participants in this week’s meetings to strengthen the WJC’s important diplomatic efforts consisted of its Steering Committee which is comprised of elected international Jewish community officials and their elected regional leaders representing communities in over 80 countries.
The WJC Steering Committee met with top Israeli government and military leaders including: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson, Chief of the IDF Ground Forces Major General Benjamin Gantz, and officials from the intelligence community, among others.
WJC participants included: President Edgar M. Bronfman; North American Jewish Congress President Evelyn Sommer; Latin American Jewish Congress President Jack Terpins; Euro-Asian Jewish Congress President Alexander Machkevitch; WJC Israel Section Chairman Matityahu Droblas; Treasurer, Eduardo Elzstain; Budget and Finance Commission Chairman Matthew Bronfman; WJC Policy Council Chairman Israel Singer; WJC Vice President Yehiel Leket; and WJC Secretary General Stephen E. Herbits.
For Information, contact:
Arik Puder
972-525-820820