EUROPEAN COUNCIL OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES GOES BACK TO ITS ROOTS AND RE-LAUNCHES AS DEMOCRATIC, PLURALISTIC, NON-POLITICAL ASSOCIATION

 

PARIS -- The European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC) has been reestablished as a democratic, pluralistic association, aimed at fostering Jewish communal development rather than lobbying on political issues.

Meeting in Paris , May 29, more than 30 representatives of Jewish communities and other Jewish communal organizations from 21 European countries, unanimously approved new Articles of Association that formally set up the ECJC as a non-profit organization registered in Switzerland . The attendees came from across Europe -- from and including the UK to Russia, with representatives from France, Bulgaria, Latvia, Italy, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Germany, Greece, Belgium, Switzerland and other countries. 

The move essentially took the ECJC back to its roots. The ECJC was originally founded in 1968.

The new Articles clarify its position as a "voluntary non-profit, non-political association of centralized European Jewish community-service associations, involving the identity, culture, education, heritage, health and welfare of these communities."  As such, the Articles underscore the ECJC 's focus on its traditional commitment to communal development and networking, rather than political issues.

The ECJC 's aims include:

-- To assist its members in promoting and developing inter-European networking, planning and cooperation mainly in the areas of education, heritage, culture and social welfare.

-- To coordinate activities, programs and events, exchange information, and share expertise, ideas and cooperation between various Jewish community organizations across Europe and among ECJC 's members, while respecting Jewish pluralism and the diversity of Jewish expression that exists worldwide.

-- To identify and share best practices as between European Jewish community organizations.

-- To represent the interests of European Jews with respect to certain apolitical European issues.

-- To assist in coordinating the activities of all member organizations and European Jewish organizations in the fields of identity, education, welfare, heritage and culture, but not on political issues.

Delegates also elected a Board of Directors consisting of Jewish volunteer lay-leaders from across the membership, with the following five democratically elected officers:

Evan Z. Lazar of the Czech Republic was elected to be President.
Lazar was one of he founders of the Czech Jewish Communal Organization Bejt Praha and served as the Chairman of its board for more than 10 years as a volunteer. He is Co-Chair of the Global RealEstate Group at the international law firm Salans and often rated as one of the leading commercial real estate lawyers in Europe .

Marguerite Zauberman of France  was elected to be Vice-President.
Zauberman currently serves on the Board of the FSJU "Fonds Social Juif Unifié", one of the three national Jewish umbrella organizations in France . She is also a member of the Jewish political representation body "Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives Françaises" (CRIF) and is the treasurer of Leatid, which offers training to Jewish European lay leaders. Zauberman is a judge, currently serving as a legal adviser for the Banque de France (the French central bank).

Alexander Oscar of Bulgaria  was also elected to be Vice-President.
Oscar is the President of the Jewish Community of Sofia and Vice- President of the Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria "Shalom". Oscar has been an active Jewish leader in Eastern Europe for the last 8 years. He is a physician with a specialty in Neurology, a PhD in neuro-ophthalmology and currently is working on his second specialty in Ophthalmology. Alexander works in the University Hospital in Sofia as a Neuro-ophthalmologist and Pediatric ophthalmologist.

Simone F. Mortara of Italy was elected to be Board Secretary.
Mortara is a board member of the Jewish community of Milan and of the Hans Jonas Jewish leadership & culture association. He served in the presidium of European Union of Jewish Students 2006-2008. A management engineer, he holds a post graduate master's degree in international health care management, economics and policy.

Nestor Trumper of Spain  was elected to be Treasurer. Trumper served in the Jewish Community Charity of Resistencia , Argentina for more than 14 years. After moving to Barcelona , he joined the “Comunitat Jueva Atid de Catalunya” and has been its Treasurer and a volunteer member of its committee for more than 3 years. His professional activities include developing tourism-oriented businesses in Barcelona .

At the meeting, representatives of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee confirmed that the JDC would offer support to the ECJC as it has done in the past, and said they looked forward to partner with the ECJC on programs. The new board also thanked the JDC for offering to bridge fund the organization for the remainder of 2011. 

Evan Lazar said that the ECJC plans "include a conference of presidents of major Jewish organizations that will focus on addressing the common issues faced by communal organizations in serving their members, especially in the areas of education and welfare." He said he hoped that such a conference would stimulate the sharing of best practices between communities.

Alexander Oscar noted that "the ECJC intends to renew its support for the annual European Day of Jewish Culture. The ECJC was one of the founders of Culture Day."

The meeting was held in the premises of and hosted by the Fonds Social Juif Unifié.

**END**

Download the press release as PDF