Dr Moshe Kantor is a prominent public figure, international philanthropist, and scientist. He serves as President of the European Jewish Congress, a democratically elected position he held from 2007 to 2022, and to which he was re-elected in May 2025 for a further four-year term.
Kantor is widely recognized for his efforts to combat antisemitism, extremism, Holocaust denial, and intolerance. The prosperity, freedom, and security of the Jewish people are among his foremost priorities. Under his leadership, the EJC has become the unified voice of European Jewish communities.
Charitable activities
Dr Kantor has founded and led numerous non-profit and charitable organisations across Europe, Israel, and beyond, driven by a deep commitment to education and philanthropy. In 2006, he founded the European Jewish Fund (EJF) to strengthen Jewish communities and Jewish life in Europe. The EJF supports educational, cultural, and leadership programmes aimed at fostering Jewish pride, strengthening a sense of community, and celebrating Jewish heritage. Since its creation, the EJF has supported over 400 projects across Europe.
World Holocaust Forum and Holocaust Remembrance Events
In 2005, Moshe Kantor founded the World Holocaust Forum (WHF), an international organisation dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and harnessing its lessons for all of humanity. Under his leadership, the WHF created a series of events known as the “World Holocaust Forum”, attended by heads of state and government from around the world. These events have taken place in Poland (in 2005 and 2010), Ukraine (in 2006), the Czech Republic (in 2015), and Israel (in 2020).
The Fifth World Holocaust Forum, co-hosted by Dr Kantor and held at Yad Vashem in 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, was the largest diplomatic gathering ever held in Israel, attended by nearly 50 heads of state and government, including royalty, presidents, and EU leaders.
In parallel, since assuming the leadership of the European Jewish Congress, Dr Kantor has also organised annual high-level Holocaust remembrance events in close partnership with the President of the European Parliament and other EU institutions.
Security and Crisis Management Centre
In response to the increasing threats faced by Jewish communities, Dr Kantor founded the Security and Crisis Management Centre (SACC) in 2012, with the aim of strengthening communities’ ability to respond to crisis situations. The programme expanded over time and, in 2016, at the initiative of Dr Kantor and with his full financial support, a new entity, SACC by EJC, was established to enhance physical security and reinforce crisis preparedness across Jewish communities in Europe.
The work carried out by SACC has been widely recognized by relevant stakeholders. In 2021, SACC by EJC was selected by the European Commission to receive funding for the EU-supported SASCE project (Security and Safety for Places of Worship), aimed at strengthening resilience and developing security solutions for Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist places of worship across the European Union. Building on its success, the continuation of the project, SASCE II, was awarded additional EU funding in 2025. More broadly, SACC is a recipient of several EU grants supporting its work in enhancing the security and resilience of communities across Europe.
Other Philanthropic Activities
Dr Kantor established several NGOs dedicated to the most pressing challenges facing the wider society today, such as preventing nuclear catastrophes and promoting reconciliation between peoples and nations. A number of prominent international figures have collaborated with Dr Kantor on these initiatives, including Tony Blair, Sebastian Kurz, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Stefan Löfven, and others.
State Honours and Distinctions
In recognition of his outstanding work, Dr Kantor has been awarded some of the highest state honours and distinctions, among others, in:
Dr Kantor graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute in 1976 and holds a PhD in Spacecraft Automatic Control Systems (1981).
Based in Brussels, the European Jewish Congress is the representative umbrella organisation of national Jewish communities. It federates democratically elected national Jewish community organisations in over 40 European countries uniting 2.5 million Jews across the continent.
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