Ronald Lauder announces bid for WJC presidency

JNF president says will seek presidency of World Jewish Congress following resignation of Edgar Bronfman three weeks ago, pledges to introduce reform, march organization forward

Reuters | Published: 05.27.07, 16:12

Ronald S Lauder, the president of the Jewish National Fund, announced Sunday that he will seek the presidency of the World Jewish Congress.

“It’s time for the World Jewish Congress to look forward. The WJC is more than an election, it is more than its leadership and it is certainly more than a scandal. Given world events, always remembering our history, it is time to focus on the future and move the World Jewish Congress forward together,” Lauder said.

At the same time, Lauder noted: "while all of this is crucial, it also not a time to shrink from hard truths. The World Jewish Congress has recently been distracted by dispute and scandal. But that is just one of the reasons that I choose to run. While I intend to fix what is wrong, I also intend to make the WJC what it once was and will be again - one of the leading representative organizations of Jews everywhere.”

Edgar Bronfman resigned as president of the World Jewish Congress in the beginning of May at a WJC steering committee meeting in New York.

The billionaire businessman's resignation, after quarter of a century in the role, followed a bitter struggle in the WJC between the organization's New York headquarters and the European Jewish Congress over funding and management practices. The Israeli branch of the WJC has also been at loggerheads with the New York headquarters for the same reasons.

“Of course, we build on a remarkable legacy”, Lauder said, adding, “the WJC’s difficulties over the last few years cannot and should not detract from the truly historic achievements of Edgar Bronfman’s presidency. Edgar led the organization with the obvious great caring he has always demonstrated for the Jewish people. His tireless efforts have been inspirational to future generations.”

Lauder promises reforms

“When asked what I want to accomplish at the WJC, I point to what I have accomplished elsewhere. I take pride in helping build the Herzliya Conference to international prominence, establishing schools in Jewish communities across Eastern Europe and retooling the Jewish National Fund. None of this I did alone, but by bringing new talent and fresh resources. The same things will move the WJC forward,” Lauder explained.

Leading the turnaround at the Jewish National Fund, Lauder said, influenced his plans for the WJC. “Reforming an organization that has seen its share of problems is not new to me. At the JNF, I inherited an organization with a reputation shattered by widely-publicized financial mismanagement. Nine years later, the JNF is universally seen as an example of successful reform and cited as a model for the proper administration of a charitable body.”