Israel Singer
Encyclopedia
Israel Singer was secretary general of the World Jewish Congress
(WJC) from 2001 to 2007.
, the son of Austrian refugees. He taught political science and political theories in New York and at the Bar-Ilan University
in Israel
.
In 1987, WJC leaders Israel Singer and Elan Steinberg warned "...Austrians that if they elected a former Nazi
as president they would experience six difficult years." This was perceived as a threat against all Austrians.
In 1996, the Reuters
news agency reported that at a meeting of the WJC congress in Buenos Aires
, Singer said "[m]ore than three million Jews
died in Poland
and the Polish people are not going to be the heirs of the Polish Jews. We are never going to allow this.... They're gonna hear from us until Poland freezes over again. If Poland does not satisfy Jewish claims it will be publicly attacked and humiliated." This was perceived as another threat, but this time against Poland.
Singer has been an activist and advocate on behalf of the victims of the Holocaust. As chairman of the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), he managed efforts to compensate Holocaust survivors monetarily. He also negotiated with Germany and Austria about annuities
and compensation for survivors.
In October 2001, he was appointed chairman of the World Jewish Congress
(WJC). In 2002 he was elected president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, the "Claims Conference
". In June 2002 he was appointed chairman of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC).
On March 14, 2007 Singer was dismissed by the president of the WJC Edgar M. Bronfman
, amid accusations of embezzlement of funds. The claims, however, were never proven true.
Israel Singer is a co-founder of Yahad in unum
, an organization founded by priest Patrick Desbois
which is dedicated to research on the "Holocaust by bullets".
The Last Deposit and Swiss Banks and Jewish Souls, by Itamar Levin, Natasha Dornberg (trans.) Foreword by Edgar Bronfman and Israel Singer.
Swiss Banks and Jewish Souls, by Gregg J. Rickman.
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations...
(WJC) from 2001 to 2007.
Life
Singer grew up in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, the son of Austrian refugees. He taught political science and political theories in New York and at the Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
In 1987, WJC leaders Israel Singer and Elan Steinberg warned "...Austrians that if they elected a former Nazi
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
as president they would experience six difficult years." This was perceived as a threat against all Austrians.
In 1996, the Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
news agency reported that at a meeting of the WJC congress in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Singer said "[m]ore than three million Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
died in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the Polish people are not going to be the heirs of the Polish Jews. We are never going to allow this.... They're gonna hear from us until Poland freezes over again. If Poland does not satisfy Jewish claims it will be publicly attacked and humiliated." This was perceived as another threat, but this time against Poland.
Singer has been an activist and advocate on behalf of the victims of the Holocaust. As chairman of the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), he managed efforts to compensate Holocaust survivors monetarily. He also negotiated with Germany and Austria about annuities
Annuity (European financial arrangements)
An annuity can be defined as a financial contract which provides an income stream in return for an initial payment with specific parameters. It is the opposite of a settlement funding...
and compensation for survivors.
In October 2001, he was appointed chairman of the World Jewish Congress
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations...
(WJC). In 2002 he was elected president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, the "Claims Conference
Claims Conference
The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, or Claims Conference, represents world Jewry in negotiating for compensation and restitution for victims of Nazi persecution and their heirs...
". In June 2002 he was appointed chairman of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC).
On March 14, 2007 Singer was dismissed by the president of the WJC Edgar M. Bronfman
Edgar Bronfman, Sr.
Edgar Miles Bronfman is a Canadian businessman. He is a member of the Bronfman family.-Biography:Bronfman is the son of Samuel Bronfman, the founder of Distillers Corporation Limited, who purchased Seagram's in 1928...
, amid accusations of embezzlement of funds. The claims, however, were never proven true.
Israel Singer is a co-founder of Yahad in unum
Yahad in unum
Yahad-In Unum was founded in Paris in 2004 by leaders in the French Catholic and Jewish communities.Its primary initiative is to locate the sites of mass graves of Jewish victims of the Nazi mobile killing units, the Einsatzgruppen, in Ukraine and Belarus...
, an organization founded by priest Patrick Desbois
Patrick Desbois
Patrick Desbois, born in 1955 in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, is a Roman Catholic priest, head of the Commission for Relations with Judaism of the French Bishops' Conference and Consultant to the Vatican. He is the co-founder and President of Yahad-In Unum....
which is dedicated to research on the "Holocaust by bullets".
External links
- Yad Vashem Interview
- 2003 Article About restitution
- Webcast about Iran
- Embezzlement Controversy Haaretz
- Embezzlement Controversy NYT
- Q&A Session on many Topics
Books
The Holocaust Industry, by Norman G. Finkelstein.The Last Deposit and Swiss Banks and Jewish Souls, by Itamar Levin, Natasha Dornberg (trans.) Foreword by Edgar Bronfman and Israel Singer.
Swiss Banks and Jewish Souls, by Gregg J. Rickman.