The gathering represented unparalleled power & wealth (and not a little corruption)\u2026 martialled on behalf of Israel\u2026<\/h4>\n
By Alison Weir<\/p>\n
If Americans Knew,\u00a0November 24, 2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The World Jewish Congress (WJC), which\u00a0calls<\/a>\u00a0itself \u201cThe Representative Body of over 100 Jewish Communities Worldwide,\u201d held its annual\u00a0<\/span>gala<\/a>\u00a0at the Pierre hotel in New York City on Nov. 6.<\/p>\n It bestowed its annual Theodor Herzl Award (named after Israel\u2019s\u00a0founding father<\/a>) on former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley for her work on behalf of Israel. Some previous awardees have been Joe Biden and Henry Kissinger.<\/p>\n One of the WJC\u2019s main issues is\u00a0support for Israel<\/a>. Among its many activities in this realm, it\u00a0collaborates<\/a>\u00a0with the Israeli government to defend Israel from criticisms of its human rights\u00a0abuses<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0discriminatory<\/a>\u00a0system<\/a>.<\/p>\n The WJC defines many factual statements about Israel to be \u201cantisemitic,\u201d and labels legitimate opposition to Israeli\u00a0violence<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0oppression<\/a>\u00a0against\u00a0Palestinians<\/a>\u00a0\u201cantisemitism.\u201d As a result, its top issue, combating \u201cantisemitism<\/a>,\u201d often consists of efforts to suppress information about Israel\u2019s oppression of Palestinians and to combat efforts on behalf of Palestinian human rights.<\/p>\n At one of its recent international conferences to oppose this newly defined \u201cantisemitism,\u201d US Special Envoy Elan Carr\u00a0proclaimed<\/a>\u00a0that every law enforcement office and every prosecutorial agency throughout the world must \u201cforce everybody who has even a hint of antisemitism to undergo a tolerance program.\u201d (More on this below).<\/p>\n The Jewish Voice<\/em>\u00a0described<\/a>\u00a0the recent World Jewish Congress gala in New York:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s 6 PM on Wednesday November 6th in New York City and dozens of Secret Service are gathered at the Pierre to protect billionaires, politicians and global influencers at one of the premier evenings of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n JV<\/em> reports that \u201cthe illustrious guest list was unparalleled,\u201d and provides a lineup that represents extraordinary wealth and power (and, in a number of cases, diverse types of malfeasance).<\/p>\n JV<\/em>\u00a0provided the names of some of the guests, to which are appended their net worths when available (these fluctuate over time) and additional information:<\/p>\n Also among \u201cthe super power players who descended on the foyer of the Pierre,\u201d\u00a0JV<\/em>\u00a0reports, \u201cwere numerous oligarchs from Russia, Ambassadors from the Ukraine, and dozens of inner circle investors who rarely venture out to weekday galas.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the oligarchs at the event was\u00a0Kazakh Israeli billionaire<\/a>\u00a0Alexander Mashkevitch,\u00a0<\/strong>net worth\u00a0$3.6 billion<\/a>. Israel\u2019s\u00a0Ha\u2019aretz<\/em>\u00a0newspaper\u00a0calls him<\/a>\u00a0\u201cone of the biggest oligarchs to have emerged from the former Soviet Union.\u201d Mashkevitch is alleged to have\u00a0ties<\/a>\u00a0to organized crime in the U.S. and has been accused of a $55 million\u00a0money-laundering<\/a>\u00a0scheme in Belgium. He has also been investigated for\u00a0organizing a\u00a0sex party<\/a>\u00a0on a luxury yacht in Turkey. (His daughter was also recently\u00a0charged<\/a>\u00a0with fraud.)<\/p>\n Mashkevitch is president of the\u00a0Euro-Asian Jewish Congress<\/a>\u00a0(a\u00a0Regional Affiliate<\/a>\u00a0of the WJC) and said to be its \u201cmost generous philanthropist<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The\u00a0Times of Israel<\/em><\/a>\u00a0reports that the EAJC regularly collaborates with Israel\u2019s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Strategic Affairs and works \u201cto counteract the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement\u201d (BDS is founded on the\u00a0principle<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cPalestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity).<\/p>\n According to the\u00a0TOI<\/em><\/a>, the EAJC works \u201cto influence global public opinion in Israel\u2019s favor.\u201d\u00a0TOI<\/em>\u00a0states: \u201cEAJC\u2019s public diplomacy program cultivates relationships with thought leaders in its 25 constituent countries. These thought leaders include businesspeople, academics, journalists, politicians, cultural leaders, and bloggers. EAJC encourages these individuals to visit Israel and likewise sponsors prominent Israelis to speak to such groups abroad, with EAJC acting as an intermediary between the Israelis and their foreign counterparts.\u201d<\/p>\n It is unlikely that the thought leaders brought by EAJC learn about Israel\u2019s systemic\u00a0discrimination<\/a>\u00a0against its non-Jewish inhabitants, including\u00a0Christians<\/a>, and Israel\u2019s ongoing violence against Palestinians in\u00a0Gaza<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0West Bank<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also present at the WJC Gala was the EAJC\u2019s\u00a0First Vice President<\/a>\u00a0Emmanuil Grinshpun,\u00a0<\/strong>a leader of the Jewish community in Moldova, a member of the European Jewish Parliament, honorary consul of Kazakhstan in the United States and\u00a0board member<\/a>\u00a0of the Chabad Russian Center in South Florida (info on Chabad is\u00a0here<\/a>). Grinshpun has been\u00a0involved<\/a>\u00a0with Veaceslav Platon,\u00a0reportedly<\/a>\u00a0\u201cconsidered by Moldovan law enforcement to be a mastermind of financial crime.\u201d<\/p>\n JV<\/em>\u00a0does not name the other oligarchs who attended the gala, but a few of the Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs connected to the WJC are:<\/p>\n *\u00a0Boris Lozhkin\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 a\u00a0WJC vice president<\/a>\u00a0(net worth appears to be about\u00a0$450-500 million<\/a>, President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, on the\u00a0board<\/a>\u00a0of the EAJC,\u00a0Lozhkin<\/a>\u00a0has been\u00a0<\/a>accused of\u00a0corruption<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Ukraine,<\/a>\u00a0fired as chief economic advisor to the president of Ukraine last year after allegations of fraudulent financial transactions involving millions of dollars came to light)<\/p>\n *\u00a0Andrey Adamovsky<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0WJC vice president<\/a>\u00a0(Ukrainian businessman, vice-president of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, in 2015 was found guilty of\u00a0defrauding<\/a>\u00a0his former business partners of $34.7 million, and in\u00a02016<\/a>\u00a0he was again found guilty of\u00a0fraud<\/a>)<\/p>\n *\u00a0Michael Mirilashvili<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 on the WJC Steering Committee\u00a0(Mirilashvili<\/a>, net worth\u00a0$3 billion<\/a>, has been\u00a0embroiled<\/a>\u00a0in various charges of\u00a0corruption)<\/a><\/p>\n *\u00a0Moshe Kantor\u00a0(aka Viatcheslav Kantor) \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0member of\u00a0WJC Executive Committee<\/a>\u00a0(net worth $4 billion;\u00a0\u00a0JTA reports<\/a>\u00a0that in 2006 he was detained in Israel on suspicion of money laundering, in Russia he had\u00a0reportedly<\/a>\u00a0been fired for being involved in a business scandal, holds triple citizenship: Russia, UK, Israel)<\/p>\n *\u00a0God Semenovich Nisanov<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0WJC vice-president<\/a>\u00a0(net worth\u00a0$3.5 billion<\/a>,\u00a0reportedly<\/a>\u00a0a \u201cking\u201d of Moscow real estate, part of what Russian media call \u201cone of the most corrupt facilities of the last 5 years,\u201d alleged gun running;\u00a0diverse<\/a>\u00a0other\u00a0accusations<\/a>)<\/p>\n Jewish Insider<\/em>\u00a0lists<\/a>\u00a0some of the additional attendees:<\/p>\n The longtime president of the WJC is multi-billionaire Ronald Lauder, an heir of the Est\u00e9e Lauder cosmetics company. At the age of 37 Lauder, a Republican fundraiser,\u00a0sought<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0succeeded<\/a>\u00a0in obtaining a position in the Defense Department (Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and NATO affairs), and then an ambassadorship.<\/p>\n Lauder kicked off the gala\u2019s speeches by decrying \u201cthe rise in anti-semitism,\u201d giving as an example Bernie Sanders\u2019 recent\u00a0statements<\/a>\u00a0calling the situation in Gaza \u201cinhumane\u201d and declaring that some of the $3.8 billion annual U.S. aid to Israel should go to Gaza instead.<\/p>\n Sanders\u2019 speech was a reference to the fact that Israel has made Gaza into \u201cthe world\u2019s largest open air prison.<\/a>\u201d A Norwegian NGO\u00a0reports<\/a>: \u201cMore than 50 years of occupation and 10 years of blockade have made the lives of 1.9 million Palestinians living inside the Gaza Strip unbearable. That is why they now are protesting and risking their lives.\u201d (Despite these\u00a0and<\/a>\u00a0previous strong\u00a0criticisms<\/a>\u00a0of Israeli actions, Sanders continues to say he is a supporter of Israel.)<\/p>\n In contrast to Lauder\u2019s condemnation of Sanders, he lavished praise on this year\u2019s\u00a0WJC Herzl awardee<\/a>, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.<\/p>\n Lauder called Haley \u201cone of the greatest women in the world\u201d and said he hoped she would seek higher office. (Before being named ambassador, Haley had been governor of South Carolina. She had no previous international expertise; her college degree was in accounting.)<\/p>\n Lauder told the audience: \u201cIn my years of service in the diplomatic world and as president of the World Jewish Congress, I have met many heads of state, dignitaries, and ambassadors who have worked diligently in support of Israel and defended it across the international stage. Throughout her tenure, US Ambassador to the UN, H.E. Nikki Haley, proved to be a giant in this realm\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Henry Kissinger, who served as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under Presidents Nixon and Ford, introduced Haley. Kissinger is famous for his\u00a0shuttle diplomacy<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0assistance<\/a>\u00a0to Israel (some of his\u00a0actions<\/a>\u00a0in that regard led to the disastrous oil boycott against the U.S.).<\/p>\n JV<\/em>\u00a0reports that Kissinger praised Haley \u201cas an all-star politician adept at the machinations of Washington and the UN.\u201d Kissinger said that Haley \u201cdid a fantastic job by leaving no attack against the US unanswered and helping Trump move the US embassy to Jerusalem.\u201d<\/p>\n JV\u00a0<\/em>called Haley\u2019s speech \u201cvery campaignlike\u201d and reported that she received a lengthy standing ovation for her remarks.<\/p>\n Previous recipients of the Herzl award have included the Rothschild family, Joe Biden, and Henry Kissinger, who was introduced by longtime TV news celebrity Barbara Walters. (The Lauder video is\u00a0here<\/a>, Walters video\u00a0here,<\/a>\u00a0and Kissinger video\u00a0here<\/a>).<\/p>\n Current Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden received WJC\u2019s Theodor Herzl award in 2016, and was introduced by Henry Kissinger. (Actor Kirk Douglas was also honored that year.)<\/p>\n![\"World](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/Jewish-Zionist-oligarchs-billionaires.jpg\")
\nA photo collage of some attendees of the 2019 WJC gala: Michael Mirilashvili ($3 billion), Moshe Kantor ($4 billion),
\nHenry Kissinger ($180 million), Ron Lauder ($4 billion), Leonard Lauder ($21 billion), Boris Lozhkin ($500 mill),
\nBaron David de Rothschild & Lord Jacob Rothschild (family net worth estimates range from billions up to $700 trillion.)
\n(Photo collage\u00a0by\u00a0If Americans Knew<\/em>)<\/span><\/h4>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/WJC-reception-for-President-of-Israel-2015.jpg\")
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\n2015 WJC reception for President of Israel<\/span><\/h4>\nA Glittering Guest List<\/h3>\n
![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/Rothschild_Brothers-Lauder-Kraft.jpg\")
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\nBaron David de Rothschild, Lord Jacob Rothschild, Ronald Lauder, Robert Kraft at WJC Gala Nov 6, 2019.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n
![\"Safra](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/Safra_dynasty_Ottomans.jpg\")
<\/a>
\nThe Safra banking dynasty\u00a0<\/span>began<\/a>\u00a0under the Ottoman Empire. Chella Cohen Safra is the WJC\u00a0<\/span>treasurer<\/a>. Image from Business Insider article:
\n<\/span>The Safra Dynasty: The Mysterious Family Of The Richest Banker In The World<\/a>.<\/h4>\n\n
![\"Lauren](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/Lauren_Vernon-Ray_Kelly-Larry_Leeds.jpg\")
\nSocialite Lauren Vernon, NY City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, and\u00a0<\/span>financier<\/a>\u00a0
Larry Leeds at 2019 WJC gala.<\/span><\/h4>\nOligarchs from Russia, Ukraine<\/h3>\n
Working to counter support for Palestinian human rights<\/h5>\n
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/Alpert-Balemebsky-Mashkevitch-Askenazy-Grinshpun.jpg\")
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\nGuests at World Jewish Congress Gala at the Pierre in New York City, Nov. 5, 2019. (L-R) Michael Alpert, Alex Balemebsky, Alexander and Larisa Mashkevitch, Ben Askenazy and Emmanuil Grinshpun.<\/span><\/h4>\n![\"Mikhael](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/Mikhael-Mirilashvili_and_son.jpg\")
\nBillionaire Mikhael Mirilashvili and his son Yitzhakis with Israeli minister Yaffa Deri. The three were suspected of\u00a0<\/span>corruption<\/a>.<\/h4>\nThe Powerful, Politicians & a Princess<\/h4>\n
![\"Senator](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/Peter_King-Chuck_Schumer-2015.jpg\")
\nSenator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Peter King, 2015. Schumer, who\u00a0<\/span>calls himself<\/a>\u00a0\u201ca guardian of Israel,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>praised<\/a>\u00a0King
\nas \u201chead & shoulders above everyone else\u201d in Congress.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n
![\"Ze'ev](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/Zeev_Rubinstein-with-cigar.jpg\")
\nZe\u2019ev Rubinstein, Israel Bonds vice president, implicated in Netanyahu corruption cases.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n
![\"Ezra](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/Ezra-Friedman-NYC-officials.jpg\")
\nEzra Friedlander and NYC elected officials at Friedlander Group event,\u00a0<\/span>October 2014<\/a>.<\/h4>\n\n
![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/A.Blavatnik_E.Blavatnik_P.Thoren-2009.jpg\")
\n(L-R) Alex Blavatnik, Emily Blavatnik, Peter Thoren at Blavatnik\u2019s
\nevent for\u00a0The Atlantic<\/em>, February 24, 2009.<\/span><\/h4>\nLauder, Haley, Kissinger<\/h3>\n
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.islam-radio.net\/islam\/english\/jewishp\/wjc\/Kissinger_Lauder_Haley.jpg\")
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\nHenry Kissinger (former US Secretary of State), Amb. Ronald S. Lauder (WJC president), Nikki Haley (former U.S. Ambassador to the UN).
\nKissinger called her \u201can all-star politician adept at the machinations of Washington and the UN.\u201d<\/span><\/h4>\nPrevious Herzl Awardees: the Rothschilds, Biden, Kissinger<\/h4>\n