World Jewish Congress
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. Its headquarters are in New York City, USA; its research institute is located in Jerusalem. It maintains international offices in Paris, France, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Geneva, Switzerland and most recently, Miami, Florida.
The WJC includes Jewish organizations from across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Israel and the Pacific. It attempts to build consensus between different Jewish groups of varying political and religious orientations; it works to act as a diplomatic envoy for the worldwide Jewish community. It is a Zionist organization, strongly supporting the State of Israel.
In 1951, Nahum Goldmann, then president of the WJC, cofounded the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany -the Claims Conference, as a body to engage the German government in negotiations for material compensation for Jewish victims of Nazi persecution. The World Jewish Congress designate two members to the Board of Directors of the Conference.
In 1992 the WJC established the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) as an organization for the restitution of Jewish property in the rest of Europe (outside Germany). It has been active in the claims against Swiss banks.
The WJC is involved in inter-faith dialogue with Christian and Muslim groups. [1]. One of its major new programs is concerned with the plight of Jewish refugees from Arab lands.
Another program of the WJC is to send the 200 Jews of Suriname Passover supplies each year, since the 1980s.
Presidents OF World Jewish Congress :
- Stephen S. Wise : (1936 - 19 Apr 1949)
- Nahum Goldmann : (1949 - 1977), (acting to 1955)
- Philip M. Klutznick : (1977 - 1979)
- Edgar M. Bronfman : (1979 - Present) , (acting to 1981)
[edit] External links
- The World Jewish Congress
- Jewish Communities of the World
- "Machers in Meltdown" by Craig Horowitz, February 28, 200, in New York (magazine)
