Ronald S. Lauder re-elected in Budapest as World Jewish Congress President
Also
elected were David de Rothschild (France) as Chairman of the Governing Board and
Chella Safra (Brazil) as Treasurer. Robert Singer presented as new CEO and
Executive Vice President
Budapest, May 6,
2013 – The World
Jewish Congress (WJC) Plenary Assembly has re-elected Ronald S. Lauder as
President of the organization for another four-year term. The announcement was
made this afternoon at the WJC 14th Plenary Assembly taking place in
Budapest, Hungary. In addition to Lauder, the Assembly, comprised of delegates
from over 70 Jewish communities from around the world, also elected Chella
Safra from Brazil to serve as WJC Treasurer; David de Rothschild from France as
the organization’s Chairman of the Governing Board; Moshe
Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress, as Policy Council Chairman;
and Mervyn Smith from South Africa as Policy Council Co-Chair.
“I see this as
the top assignment for the Jewish people and I am excited to serve as President
of the World Jewish Congress for another four years,” said Lauder.
Lauder has held
the position of President since 2007. He has established philanthropic
organizations such as the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, an organization
dedicated to rebuild Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe.
He has also been actively involved in numerous civic organizations, including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish National Fund, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Theological Seminary, Brandeis University and the Abraham Fund. From 1986 to 1987 Mr. Lauder served as U.S. ambassador to Austria.
David de Rothschild, born
Baron David René James de Rothschild, 70, is chairman of Rothschild
Continuation Holdings, parent company for all Rothschild banking companies,
which are global and currently serve as the world’s 31st oldest bank. David was
born in New York City as a result of his parents escaping the Nazis during the
German occupation of France in World War II. His family moved back to France
following the liberation where David ultimately took over the family banking
business that was able to flourish after Socialists lost power in France.
In 1974, David married the Italian Princess Olimpia Anna Aldobrandini and they currently have four children and live in Normandy.
In 1974, David married the Italian Princess Olimpia Anna Aldobrandini and they currently have four children and live in Normandy.
Chella Safra, 62, was born
in Beirut and currently resides in Sao Paolo, Brazil. She has been a leader of
the Jewish community in Brazil for the past 40 years and has been involved in
Karen Ha’yesod, the Safra Foundation and many other Jewish and non-Jewish
philanthropic organizations.
Safra is a
member of the Executive Board and the Consulting Board of Karen Ha’yesod of Sao
Paolo. She also founded the Women’s Division for the foundation in 1986 and has
served as its Honorary President since then. Safra was the representative of
Brazil at the Jewish Agency in Israel for Karen Ha’yesod and also
Editor-in-Chief of Kol News, a Jewish magazine in Brazil. She was also the President of the Women’s
Committee for Social Welfare at the Beit Yaacov Congregation in Sao Paolo.
In addition,
Safra also volunteered at B’nai B’rith in Brazil dealing with issues of social
welfare. She co-founded Americas Amicas, an NGO dedicated to provide mammograms
to help women from disadvantaged backgrounds receive testing for breast cancer.
Chella is
married to Moise Safra and have five children and 12 grandchildren. Together
they support art museums in Israel and Brazil, in addition to a plethora of
other Jewish and non-Jewish philanthropic initiatives.
Also today, Robert Singer was presented as
new CEO and Executive Vice President of the WJC – the most senior professional
position. Singer, who currently resides in London, spent 11 years in the Israel
Defense Forces, 12 years in Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and 14 years at
World ORT.
The
WJC Plenary Assembly is playing host to over 600 delegates and observers from
their affiliated Jewish communities and organizations in over 100 countries. It
was held in Budapest amid growing anti-Semitism concerns in the country.
Chella Safra, new WJC Treasurer. Photo credit Doron
Ritter.
About
World Jewish Congress:
The
World Jewish Congress (WJC) is the international organization representing
Jewish communities in 100 countries to governments, parliaments and
international organizations. The Plenary Assembly is the highest
decision-making body of the organization. It meets every four years and elects
the WJC officers. All affiliated Jewish communities are entitled to send a
certain number of delegates, depending on the size of their Jewish population.
From: www.puderpr.com
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