The World Jewish Congress (WJC) laments the passing of Dr. David Kimche, a retired senior Israeli government official, president of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations and publisher of the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, who died on Tuesday in Jerusalem at the age of 81. “David Kimche deeply believed that the Jews of the Diaspora had an important role to play in fostering Israel's relations with the wider world, particularly in countries with which Israel does not have formal ties.
NEW YORK/JERUSALEM – The World Jewish Congress (WJC) laments the passing of Dr. David Kimche, a retired senior Israeli government official, president of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations and publisher of the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, who died on Tuesday in Jerusalem at the age of 81. “David Kimche deeply believed that the Jews of the Diaspora had an important role to play in fostering Israel's relations with the wider world, particularly in countries with which Israel does not have formal ties. He saw in the World Jewish Congress an extraordinary bridge between Israel and the Jewish people,” WJC President Ronald S. Lauder stated.
Kimche was born in London in 1928 to a Zionist family with roots in Switzerland. The youngest of nine siblings, he immigrated to Israel at the age of eighteen and fought in the War of Independence on the Jerusalem front. In the early 1950s, Kimche began his long association with Israel’s secret service, the Mossad, and is today rightly regarded as one of the organization's outstanding figures. Kimche was also a recognized authority on Africa and had a lifelong love for the African continent. He was especially sensitive to the plight of its newly independent peoples. In 1979, he left the Mossad and shortly thereafter was appointed director-general of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a post in which he served for 7 years.
In 1989, under the auspices of the World Jewish Congress, David Kimche established the Israel Council on Foreign Relations, which became a favored platform for the discussion of international affairs from a Jewish and Israeli perspective. Under his leadership, the council hosted a long list of international leaders and luminaries from dozens of countries around the world. In 2007, he also founded the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, which swiftly became one of the leading publications in the field of international affairs.
“Although David Kimche was a towering figure, he will also be remembered for his modesty, kindness, good humor and graceful demeanor. May his memory be a blessing and may he continue to inspire future generations,” Ronald Lauder said.
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The World Jewish Congress is the international organization representing the Jewish communities in 92 countries around the world. The WJC serves as the diplomatic arm of the Jewish people to governments and international organizations.
