World Jewish Congress Program Department 2013-2014: Programs & Initiatives Sonia Gomes de Mesquita Chief Program Officer, World Jewish Congress WJC Executive Committee Paris, 31 March 2014
Vision and Objectives Empowering Students to Fight the Delegitimization of Israel on Campuses Enhance coordination and global action between various Jewish stakeholders Create a more open minded debate and public opinion about Israel at universities Raise awareness of the threat that BDS poses worldwide To provide students with the tools and skills needed for Israel advocacy on university campuses globally
Activities GCI day at WUJS GA at Knesset Monthly online training sessions (webinars) Peace-tent in South Africa during Israel Apartheid Week (March) Booklet on combatting BDS on campus (May/June) Simultaneous campaigns in 5 different countries in connection with Yom Haasmauth Mission to Israel for non-jewish student leaders (October) Israeli Student delegation to European Campuses(November) Micro-grants for joint projects
Israel Apartheid Week South Africa Cooperation with South African Union of Jewish Students/EUJS & WUJS Give Peace Wings campaign Erected 5 tents at University Campuses nationally to establish venues for discussions on peace in the Middle-East SAUJS hosted speakers Stand With Us sponsored a delegation of 13 Israel students (incl. 7 Ethiopians) that engaged with the local students and showcased Israel)
Objectives Strengthen and develop the professional skills of the JPs Empower & inspire JPs to stay in their positions longer to ensure continuity Give communities a strong sense of inclusion and relevancy Get access to resources and information from communities Use JPs as a pool of resources and manpower Enhance cooperation & communication between communities and WJC Get JPs to identify with WJC
Breakdown 46 countries 40 Europe 20 Latin America 10 EAJC 6 North America 5 Australia/South Africa 7 Israel
Breakdown Total of 88 JPs (67 Communal Professionals 22 volunteers) 13 23 Executive Directors (7 national Executive Directors, 3 too old). Work in government affairs/advocacy (5 from IL, 7 volunteers, 3 from intl. org). 6 2 12 4 28 Work with information/social media Advisors to community Presidents Administrative Rabbis Work with youth & culture
Activities Dec. 2013 March 2014 Developed networked Reached out to members in +50 communities Integrated professionals from 86 WJC members from 46 countries in network 60+ JPs filled out online questionnaire about their job, positions, wishes and needs Four online conferences (webinars): o December 2013: Fighting Discrimination and Anti-Semitism on the Internet o January 2014: Best practices in combatting online anti-semitism o February 2014: Step by Step: Coalition Building with Muslim Communities o March 2014: Jewish Manifesto for the European Elections Developed Online Facebook Platform to exchange ideas/information
Activities January 9, 2014: "Post-Communist Europe: 25 Years after the Collapse of the Ancient Régime." Lecture by celebrated Polish-Jewish intellectual Konstanty Gebert. January 13, 2014 (in cooperation with WJC-Israel): "The Imperiled Legacy of Iraqi Jewry and the Struggle to Prevent the Return of its Archive to Baghdad. March 27, 2014: Annual Symposium on Middle East in Memory of ICFR Founder Dr. David Kimche. ICFR Board Meeting New international board of trustees to be called into being, with RSL as Chairman. ICFR Website & Social Media The Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs
Activities ICFR Israeli European Young Diplomats Forum January 29, 2014: "The Israeli European Agenda 2014: Beyond the Horizon" at Knesset, including MK assistants. Keynote speaker Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Anderson, Head, EU Delegation to Israel and MK Hilik Bar. Moderator: MK Penina Tamanu-Shata. February 26, 2014: Divergent Paradigms on the Relationship of State and Religion in Europe & Israel, at the residence of Romanian Ambassador H.E. Andreea Pastarnac. Speakers were Anat Hoffman, Chairwoman, Women of the Wall; Prof. Stuart Cohen, Bar Ilan University; and Father Markus Bugnyar, Rector, Austrian Hospice. April (tbc): Diplomacy and Surveillance, at the residence of the Slovak Ambassador, H.E. Radovan Javorcik. Postponed due to Israel MFA strike. May (tbc): "Diaspora Populations and the Mother Country," at the residence of Russian Ambassador H.E. Sergey Yakovlev. July 10, Governor of Bank of Israel Karnit Flug, at the residence of Swiss Ambassador H.E. Andreas Baum. September, event to be hosted by Austrian Ambassador, H.E. Franz Josef Kuglitsch. October/November, event to be hosted by German Ambassador, H.E. Andreas Michaelis.
Congressman Eliot L. Engel is the Chairman of ICJP, and MP Prof. Irwin Cotler (Canada) is Deputy Chairman Currently, the ICJP consists of 300 Jewish members of parliament and 100 members of Knesset A plenary meeting of ICJP has been tentatively planned for November of 2014 in Berlin Conference calls, led by Congressman Engel, will be held over the course of next several months. The first will be on The Rise of Right-wing Nationalism in Europe. In December of 2013, letters and press statements were released by the ICJP to protest the rise of anti-semitism in Europe, to urge for the release of Jonathan Pollard, and to mark the 69 th anniversary International Holocaust Remembrance Day, among others.
New Initiatives JFNA UN Vilnius
International Yiddish Institute for the revival of Yiddish language and culture Launch Sept/Oct, 2014 Top professional team selected for project International Academic Advisory Committee Fact finding mission to Vilnius (April 9-11) Location Legal Issues Partnership with Israeli Ministry of Education and other international established Yiddish institutions Pledges from donors reached 80% of total funding
The World Jewish Congress Jewish Fellowship Academia Training program for young and accomplished Jewish communal professionals and volunteers. The program will be organized around face-to-face seminars (at the IDC Herzliya and Lauder Business School in Vienna), online lessons, and peer mentorship. The program will last the duration of 1 year and have an initial enrollment of 30 students.
JFNA Jewish Federation of North America 153 Federations GA Washington, D.C. (November 9-11, 2014) The GA is the most significant gathering of Jewish communal leaders, Federation professionals and philanthropists in America. The GA brings together thousands of influential decision-makers from communities around the US, Canada, Israel and around the world. Prime Minister s Council Mission to Paris & Israel (September 13-22, 2014)
UN Yom Ha Shoah Remberance Partnership between UN Department of Public Information s Holocaust and the UN Outreach Programme and the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN April 28 Yom Ha Shoah The event will be divided in to 4 sessions Music Dance Literature - Visual arts World ORT will present its Holocaust Through Music program. There will between 400 and 500 attendees.