At a major World Jewish Congress gathering held in Jerusalem on 31 August and 1 September 2010, Israeli leaders including President Shimon Peres, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni and Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer will address over 200 delegates from Jewish communities world-wide. Writer Elie Wiesel and former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar will give keynote addresses.
The World Jewish Congress Governing Board meeting will be attended by over 200 Jewish leaders from around the globe andfocus on ways to fight the growing threats against Israel. It will be addressed by senior statesmen from Israel and abroad.
The entire meeting will be broadcast on the internet; the livestream can be accessed HERE.
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said: “Everywhere, we are witnessing concerted efforts to attack the legitimacy of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. Boycott, sanctions and divestment campaigns are becoming prevalent; Israeli academics, authors, artists and sportspeople are being banned from participating in events; the media often presents a one-sided view of developments, and Israel is almost always being singled out for blame. We will be developing proactive initiatives to address these issues, and we will underline the need for Diaspora Jewry’s continued unwavering solidarity with Israel in a global environment that is increasingly hostile to those positions.”
Writer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Elie Wiesel will be presented with the first WJC ‘Guardian of Jerusalem’ award in recognition of his lifetime accomplishments on behalf of the Jewish people. Members of the Israeli Haiti emergency rescue operation will receive a special award for their heroic humanitarian efforts in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Israeli leaders, including President Shimon Peres, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein, and Opposition Leader and Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Governor of the Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer and Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau also confirmed their participation.
Former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar will give a keynote address to delegates about the recently launched Friends of Israel Initiative (www.friendsofisraelinitiative.org).
The WJC meeting will also adopt the future priorities and action plans of the Congress and discuss the difficult situation faced by certain Jewish communities, e.g. in Sweden and Venezuela.