Passing of longtime World Jewish Congress Executive Director Elan Steinberg
Ronald S. Lauder: “One of the great Jewish activists of the past decades left us”
NEW YORK – The Wold Jewish Congress mourns the passing of its former Executive Director Elan Steinberg, who died on Friday in New York at the age of 59 after a short struggle with cancer. Steinberg served as executive director of the World Jewish Congress and its American section and as advisor to WJC presidents Edgar Bronfman and Ronald S. Lauder. “One of the great Jewish activists of the past decades left us today. Elan’s premature death will leave a huge void in the Jewish world. He was deeply committed to advocating the rights of the Jews around the world, and of Holocaust survivors in particular. He was probably the most gifted communication professional in the Jewish organizational world. He will be sorely missed,” Lauder said in a first reaction.
The WJC president highlighted Elan Steinberg’s pivotal role in exposing former Austrian President Kurt Waldheim’s past as officer of the German Wehrmacht during World War II and his important efforts, together with other WJC leaders, to secure billions of dollars in restitution and compensation for Holocaust survivors, notably from the Swiss banks and the German government. “Without Elan’s skills, his tireless work and his absolute determination, all of this could probably not have been achieved. Not just the survivors, but the entire Jewish people owe him a debt of gratitude,” Lauder declared. He added: “Our hearts go out to Elan’s wife Sharon and his children, who have lost a husband and father at such a young age. May they be comforted among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”
WJC Secretary-General Dan Diker said: “On the eve of Pessach, the Jewish people has lost one of its great leaders. All his adult life, Elan Steinberg fought for human rights, and for Jewish rights. He leaves a huge legacy, and nobody in the World Jewish Congress and beyond will ever forget him.”
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.
