WJC Shines Spotlight on Global Issues at UNGA

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder met with the Foreign Minister of Sweden, H.E. Tobias Billström on Friday afternoon at the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations for a warm and productive conversation on a range of topics. Ambassador Lauder expressed his appreciation for the warming diplomatic ties between Sweden and the State of Israel and for the Swedish government’s leadership in fighting antisemitism. 

The Foreign Minister recounted his personal connection to Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, shaped by his childhood experience with his grandparents in Malmö providing shelter for Danish Jews in 1942.

Sweden is home to around 15,000 Jews, making it the largest Jewish community in Scandinavia. WJC’s affiliate in Sweden is the Jewish Central Council.

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder met with the Austrian Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg, on Friday morning. President Lauder expressed his gratitude for the strong relationship between the WCJ’s local affiliate, the Federation of Austrian Jewish Communities, and the Austrian government. Ambassador Lauder applauded Austria’s strong stance against antisemitism through its adoption of comprehensive legislation addressing online hate, and its adoption of a national strategy against antisemitism.  

According to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), there are approximately 10,300 Jews currently living in Austria. The Jewish community of Austria is represented by the Federation of Austrian Jewish Communities. 

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder met with the President of the Czech Republic, H.E. Petr Pavel on Thursday morning at the Permanent Mission of Czechia to the United Nations. Ambassador Lauder expressed his gratitude to the Czechian government for their exceptionally warm relationship with WJC’s local affiliate, the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic. Ambassador Lauder stressed the importance of adopting a standalone national action plan to combat antisemitism. 

The Jewish population living in the Czech Republic is approximately 10,000 people. The World Jewish Congress’s local affiliate is the Federation of Jewish Communities in Czech Republic.