EJC Executive Vice-President and CEO Raya Kalenova and EJC Director of European Affairs Ariella Woitchik took part in the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Executive Committee Meeting in Munich, which was held between 27-29 October 2019.
Among topics discussed at the Executive Committee Meeting were the growing gap between Israel and the Diaspora and between observant and secular Jews and the pressing challenges in ensuring Jewish unity and Jewish continuity.
Participants paid tribute to victims of the attack on the synagogue of Halle on Yom Kippur by holding a minute of silence.
The WJC Executive Committee honoured the memory of former EJC Secretary General, Serge Cwajgenbaum z”l., who sadly passed away on 6 October 2019. EJC Executive Vice-President and CEO Raya Kalenova gave an eulogy at this occasion.
Dr. Ariel Muzicant, WJC Executive Member and EJC Vice-President, addressed the participants about the current threat posed by the Iranian Regime.
The WJC Theodore Herzl Award was presented to German Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel at a Gala dinner hosted by WJC President Amb. Ronald S. Lauder and Dr. H.C. Charlotte Knobloch in the presence of leaders of Jewish communities across the world and other invited dignitaries.
Among the guests were also international special envoys and coordinators on combating antisemitism, including Dr. Felix Klein, Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism, Elan Carr, United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism and Frédéric Potier, French Interministerial Delegate for the fight against racism, antisemitism and anti-LGBT hatred.
During the event, Jewish leaders also visited the Memorial to Murdered Israeli Athletes of the 1972 Olympics, and had a guided tour at Dachau Nazi Concentration Camp Memorial Site and at the local Jewish community institutions.
