The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. As an umbrella group it represents Jews from the entire political spectrum and from all Jewish religious denominations. The Congress has its headquarters in New York and a United Nations liaison office in Geneva. WJC's President is Edgar Bronfman of the United States.

The WCJ was established in the 1930s to alert the world to the dangers of Nazism and anti-semitism. Today it continues its political, legal and educational activities against racism, anti-semitism and terrorism. Within the United Nations, WJC campaigned strongly against the UN's infamous resolution equating Zionism with racism (1975) until its repeal in an unprecedented vote in the General Assembly in December 1991.

WJC has been active in international diplomacy as well as in public international advocacy. After the fall of Communism the WJC played an important role in securing the political rights of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, maintained diplomatic contacts with the new governments there on human rights concerns, and pressed for the reestablishment of diplomatic relations with Israel.

The WJC has led several public campaigns against anti-semitism and the denial of the Holocaust. Most recently, a high-profile confrontation took place between the WJC and the Swiss government and banks. In May 1996 the Swiss Bankers Association signed an agreement with the WJC and WJRO to establish a joint commission to investigate the fate of dormant Jewish-owned accounts in Swiss banks. In February 1997, the Swiss government announced the establishment of a humanitarian fund for Holocaust survivors.

The work of the WJC received recognition in the official report of the Clinton administration published by the State Department, coordinated by Under-Secretary of Commerce Stuart E. Eizenstat. In December 1997 the WJC led the Jewish delegations to the "London Conference on Nazi Gold" called by the British Foreign Office and attended by delegations of over forty states.

Internet
www.wjc.org.il

Address
World Jewish Congress
p.O. Box 191
rue de Varembe 1-3
CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. 734.1325
Fax. 733.3985