I want the European peoples become

reconciled with judaism and Israel

Pierre BESNAINOU

50 yrs old, born in Tunis, TunisiaFrench citizen

Married with three children

CEO of financial company
Vice President of :

World Jewish Congress French Section

European Jewish Congress

Co-Treasurer of World Jewish Congress

Board member of :

Keren Hayesod France ( FSJU)

Weizmann France Europe
Paris Community Center

Chamber of Commerce France Isral

Member of Shimon Peres Center for Peace (Israel) Board of Governors

Pierre

Besnainou

to garantee the dignity and integrity

of Jewry world wide

ear Friends,

I am presenting myself as a candidate for the presidency of the European Jewish Congress. It is my
intention, should you honour me with your vote of
confidence, to continue to work closely with each
of you. I believe that it is only through total unity
between our communities and institutions that will
we have a strong voice as European Jews.
Therefore I present to you my program, in which
many of you will find the ideas that you have yourselves suggested and I am committed to implementing with your support.
My program, simply stated is as follows: It is my
wish that the people of Europe reconcile with the

Jews and with Israel. It is my wish that Europe is

made aware of its Judeo-Christian roots. The role
that Judaism has played in the conception and building of the European identity cannot and should
not be ignored.
Our task is to solicit from the institutions and people of Europe, a positive attention to the fate of
our people, attention based not only on remorse,
but on the conscience of a shared history.

In faithful friendship to each one of you

Building bridges between Europe and Israel

s Jews in Europe, we are confronted

Therefore I propose :

the organization of international conferen-

with the harsh reality, a reality which

ces, as well as religious realities of Jerusalem,

our emotions: simply put, Europe does not

which will add to our actions intellectual

grates on our collective conscience and troubles

understand Israel. Whereas the foreign policy of

the United States of America is consistently sen-

sitive to the interests of Israel, concerning its

security and its right to defend itself, the opinion

of the states of our continent, whether they are

expressed collectively or individually, remain

and conferences on the statute of the refugees,

content, necessary for effectiveness as much as
credibility.

regular publication of a review and back-

ground documentation on relevant topics to

be addressed to our political interlocutors.

defiant to the reality which is Israel: the survival

organize fieldtrips for journalists and mem-

to defend oneself) is the guarantee of the dignity

wing them to discover the quality, complexity

of the Jewish State (and survival means the right

and the integrity of Jews worldwide.

bers of Parliament, with the intention of allo-

Let's remain

and veracity of Israeli society.

2
The first mission of the European Jewish
Congress is to take an active role in bringing

Peace-making

together Europe and Israel. I have personally

been involved in the organization of visits by

European parliamentarians, journalists and elec-

ted officials to Israel, with the specific aim of

showing them that this country deserves to be

treated with honour rather that unworthiness.

I will step up this effort. This is an important

role of the EJC.

It is as well our role to contribute to building a

strong relationship between Europe and the

United States, in the interest of peace, and this

collaboration will serve to preserve the vital

interests of Israel. It is as part of a strong and

unified World Jewish Congress that our actions

will have strength and show results.

It is as part of a strong and

unified World Jewish Congress
that our actions will have strength
and show results.

It is our role as Jewish leaders and as

Zionists to be the fervent promoters of
the peace process in the Middle East

he European Jewish Congress, under my leadership

will not claim to be the peace-maker of the Middle

East: we will keep to our role, which is to be steadily, calmly

and with dignity, at Israels side, while respecting their democratic decisions.

It is possible that the EJC can be a true peace-maker in

Europe.We can contribute fully to the reconciliation between

the communities. We can make it so that, on our continent,

the healing virtues of knowledge replace the of ignorance.

It is in Europe, and Europe only, where today Jews and

Moslems cohabitate together. It is in Europe where one

must be raise the truly exciting stake, which is not that of

Fighting antisemitism
t is no longer a question, it is a fact: Europe,

what we live is on the contrary the beginning dis-

anti-Semitism should be unbearable to any

term. I estimate in any case that history gives to the

where, after the Holocaust, even the idea of

dignified human being, is being assaulted with a

new wave of anti-Semitism. It does not belong

to me, it does not rest on anybody to say if

what we face is simply a moment in time , from

where each one will leave with a conscience

strengthened of its duties and its rights, or if

together faithful to the profundity of

the thought to the necessity of action.

tressing of something whose we do not know the

Jews the right and the duty to be anxious. We therefore no longer have the right to be at ease, care-

free and even less so, resigned. Vis-a-vis with antiSemitism, we must fight, to be on all fronts, to occupy
all grounds and all platforms, and not to accept that,

even indirectly, even by allusion, our people, our

goods, our culture can ever be outraged.

It does not rest with to us so much to fight against

the hatred, which the indifference in all its forms

counters: tolerance of the authorities, inertia of the
opinion, laxness of the legal authorities, complicity
of certain intellectual classes.Therefore I propose:

That the European Jewish Congress organizes

a cycle of conferences and publications on the

Judeo-Christians roots of European identity : the

source of the reciprocal gratitude of the Jews

4
1. Medbridge Field Trip to Israel of
Parliamentarians in Jerusalem October 2003.

150

European

and Europe cannot be, indeed that intellectual.

That the European Jewish Congress creates an

2. Meeting between French Chief Rabbi Joseph Sitruk and Tunisian

President Ben Ali in Tunis December 2004

Observatory of the anti-Semitism, charged with

3. Security Fence Symposium in Paris December 2003 attended by

His Excellency the Ambassador of Israel to France, Nissim Zvili and
Israeli Ministers M Sheetrit and M Ben Eliezer.

gences of anti-Jewish hatred in Europe.

4. "Solidarity for Israel" demonstration attended by Israeli Deputy

Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Minister of Defense Saul Mofaz
in Paris April 2005

a monthly list of anti-Semitic aggressions: to be

the supervision of all demonstrations, all resur That the European Jewish Congress publishes

vigilant, indeed, foremost to see and say how it

is, to speak the truth.

separation, but that of the reconciliation. If we can achieve

the role of peace-maker between the communities of

Europe, we will be able to become again, we the Jews, "Or

lagoyim", the light of the nations ".

Trialogues between Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Bringing together Jews and Muslims of everyday society;

That the European Jewish Congress is the

voice of everyone i.e. to defend and be a voice

for the small communities, in par ticular in

Eastern Europe, which very often do not have
the demographic, political, legal and financial
means to be heard.

businessmen, scientists, writers, journalists.

To achieve this goal, I wish to propose to open a

alliances, which have seen in fifty years, in the countries

office will be under the supervision of the EJC

On the European scale, a widening of Judeo-Christians

where these alliances are exercised, advances of remarkable

proportions in eradicating
Semitism.

two thousand years of anti-

representative office of the EJC in Brussels. This

Secretary General. I will also favorably consider
the opening of representative offices in Central &
Eastern Europe to serve the small communities.