European Jewish Congress
Encyclopedia
The European Jewish Congress, (abbrev.
EJC), was founded in 1986. It is based in Paris, with offices in Brussels
, Strasbourg
, Berlin and Budapest
. It is the sole representative body of democratically elected European Jewish communities throughout Europe.
Affiliated to the World Jewish Congress
, the EJC works with national governments, European Union institutions and the Council of Europe
. The European Jewish Congress is one of the most influential international public associations and a large secular organisation representing more than 2.5 million of Jews throughout Europe. The EJC is an umbrella organisation for 42 national Jewish communities on this continent. The primary mission of the EJC, which is deeply involved in the integration processes in Europe, is to promote European democracy based on good relations between neighbours, mutual understanding and tolerance. The EJC maintains close cooperation with European governments, leading international institutions and European integration associations, including the United Nations, European Union, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. EJC has a participatory status with the Council of Europe.
The EJC’s goal is to address the most pressing issues faced by today’s world, i.e. protecting human rights, fighting xenophobia and anti-Semitism, promoting interfaith dialogue, implementing cultural and educational programmes, and remembering the Holocaust and other tragedies that claimed millions of human lives throughout the world.
To meet these goals, the EJC has initiated and organised several large international projects, in particular the Let My People Live! international forums
. The First Forum of the series was held in Krakow
in January 2005 to commemorate 60 years since liberation of Auschwitz; the Second Forum took place in Kiev
in September 2006 to mark 65 years since the Babi Yar tragedy
. The forums were widely supported by leading international organisations, including the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, as well as senior politicians from many countries, including Russia, the United States, Germany, Israel
, Poland and Ukraine
. The next Let My People Live! Forum
, this one to commemorate 70 years since die Kristallnacht
tragedy, has been held in Krakow
, Poland
.
On January 25th, 2011 at the European Parliament
in Brussels
on the eve of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day
there took place a commemoration meeting devoted to the memory of the Holocaust. It was timed to the 66th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau by the Soviet Army
. The European Jewish Congress was one of the principal organizers of this event.
Another important issue on the EJC’s agenda is preventing one of today’s most dangerous threats, that of nuclear terrorism
. The EJC was a co-organiser of the International Conference on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, which took place in Luxembourg this May and brought together a unique team of more than 50 experts in nuclear non-proliferation from 14 countries, led by Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency
Mohammed ElBaradei. Taking into account the level of participants, the conference was the largest and most authoritative gathering to discuss issues of nuclear safety within the past decade.
The EJC’s head office is located in Paris, with branches operating in Berlin, Brussels, Budapest and Strasburg.
The President of the European Jewish Congress is elected every two years renewable by a “General Assembly” of Jewish community representatives and works in consortium with an elected “Executive” of community presidents.
Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor
was elected President of the European Jewish Congress in June 2007. Since 2004 to his election as EJC President, he was Chairman of the EJC Board of Governors.
in the wake of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, in contrast to neutral or pro-Israel sentiment in the former Eastern bloc
as well as in Denmark.
The report cited:
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
EJC), was founded in 1986. It is based in Paris, with offices in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Berlin and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. It is the sole representative body of democratically elected European Jewish communities throughout Europe.
Affiliated to the World Jewish Congress
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations...
, the EJC works with national governments, European Union institutions and the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
. The European Jewish Congress is one of the most influential international public associations and a large secular organisation representing more than 2.5 million of Jews throughout Europe. The EJC is an umbrella organisation for 42 national Jewish communities on this continent. The primary mission of the EJC, which is deeply involved in the integration processes in Europe, is to promote European democracy based on good relations between neighbours, mutual understanding and tolerance. The EJC maintains close cooperation with European governments, leading international institutions and European integration associations, including the United Nations, European Union, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. EJC has a participatory status with the Council of Europe.
The EJC’s goal is to address the most pressing issues faced by today’s world, i.e. protecting human rights, fighting xenophobia and anti-Semitism, promoting interfaith dialogue, implementing cultural and educational programmes, and remembering the Holocaust and other tragedies that claimed millions of human lives throughout the world.
To meet these goals, the EJC has initiated and organised several large international projects, in particular the Let My People Live! international forums
World Holocaust Forum
The World Holocaust Forum is a series of high-profile events targeted at preserving memories of Holocaust atrocities and the other tragic events of World War II...
. The First Forum of the series was held in Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
in January 2005 to commemorate 60 years since liberation of Auschwitz; the Second Forum took place in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
in September 2006 to mark 65 years since the Babi Yar tragedy
Babi Yar
Babi Yar is a ravine in the Ukrainian capital Kiev and a site of a series of massacres carried out by the Nazis during their campaign against the Soviet Union. The most notorious and the best documented of these massacres took place on September 29–30, 1941, wherein 33,771 Jews were killed in a...
. The forums were widely supported by leading international organisations, including the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, as well as senior politicians from many countries, including Russia, the United States, Germany, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Poland and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The next Let My People Live! Forum
World Holocaust Forum
The World Holocaust Forum is a series of high-profile events targeted at preserving memories of Holocaust atrocities and the other tragic events of World War II...
, this one to commemorate 70 years since die Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
tragedy, has been held in Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
On January 25th, 2011 at the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on the eve of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, is an international memorial day for the victims of the Holocaust, the genocide that resulted in the annihilation of 6 million European Jews and millions of others by the Nazi regime.. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly...
there took place a commemoration meeting devoted to the memory of the Holocaust. It was timed to the 66th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau by the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
. The European Jewish Congress was one of the principal organizers of this event.
Another important issue on the EJC’s agenda is preventing one of today’s most dangerous threats, that of nuclear terrorism
Nuclear terrorism
Nuclear terrorism denotes the use, or threat of the use, of nuclear weapons or radiological weapons in acts of terrorism, includingattacks against facilities where radioactive materials are present...
. The EJC was a co-organiser of the International Conference on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, which took place in Luxembourg this May and brought together a unique team of more than 50 experts in nuclear non-proliferation from 14 countries, led by Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
Mohammed ElBaradei. Taking into account the level of participants, the conference was the largest and most authoritative gathering to discuss issues of nuclear safety within the past decade.
The EJC’s head office is located in Paris, with branches operating in Berlin, Brussels, Budapest and Strasburg.
The President of the European Jewish Congress is elected every two years renewable by a “General Assembly” of Jewish community representatives and works in consortium with an elected “Executive” of community presidents.
Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor
Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor
Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor is a prominent public figure, businessman and philanthropist who actively participates in the promotion of tolerance and reconciliation in the modern world. He is also engaged in discussing and elaborating ways to stop nuclear proliferation and prevent a nuclear catastrophe...
was elected President of the European Jewish Congress in June 2007. Since 2004 to his election as EJC President, he was Chairman of the EJC Board of Governors.
Primary objectives
The EJC lists as its primary objectives on its website the following:
- To combat the resurgence of anti-Semitism
Anti-SemitismAntisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
through education, justice and security, in cooperation with governments and European institutions.- To promote a balanced European policy towards Israel and the Middle East, and to assist in the construction of a healthy dialogue between Europeans and Israelis.
- To foster inter-religious dialogue and understanding.
- To ensure memory and education of the Holocaust.
- To contribute to a democratic European society based on peace, understanding and tolerance.
- To assist in the revitalisation of the once rich Jewish life in Central and Eastern Europe.
- To counteract assimilation of the European Jewish population
2006 report
In 2006 the congress released a report detailing a new wave of anti-semitic incidents in most of Western EuropeWestern Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
in the wake of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, in contrast to neutral or pro-Israel sentiment in the former Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
as well as in Denmark.
The report cited:
- The first instances of antisemitism in TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
since the change of regime in 2002; - 83 instances of anti-semitism in Austria from April through August 2006, compared to 50 in the same period of 2005;
- 61 instances of anti-semitism in France from April through August 2006, compared to 34 in the same period of 2005;
- Normalisation of anti-semitic political and media rhetoric in Greece after the conflict.