European Jewish Congress - President's Page

Prominent public figure, international philanthropist, entrepreneur and investor. He is committed to progress and has greatly contributed to revitalizing Jewish life in Europe and beyond.

Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor is known for his extensive involvement in community life :

• Since 2007 - President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), re-elected in December 2008; 2004-2007 - Chairman of the EJC Board of Governors. The EJC is a leading Jewish secular umbrella organisation that co-ordinates 40 national Jewish communities in Europe, encompassing 2.5 million Jews. The EJC's goal is to address the world's most pressing issues: protecting human rights, fighting xenophobia and anti-Semitism, promoting interfaith dialogue, implementing cultural and educational programmes, and remembering the Holocaust and other tragedies that claimed millions of human lives throughout the world.

• 2005 – May 2009 President of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC), a leading Russian secular organisation that represents the interests of the whole spectrum of modern Russian Jewry.

May 2009 - elected to chair the RJC Presidium.

Since 2008 – co-Chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR), a non-governmental organisation established to monitor European countries’ adherence to the principles of tolerance, develop practical initiatives and make recommendations for promoting mutual understanding between cultures.

2005 – Initiated and organised the first “Let My People Live!” International Forum in Krakow, Poland, to mark 60 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Among the participants and guests at the Krakow Forum were representatives from 40 coun`tries, including 24 official delegations, led by their heads of state and government.
Since 2005 – Founder and President of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation (WHF), established following the Krakow Forum. The Foundation’s goal is to support Holocaust remembrance activities for the sake of preserving the historical memory of nations all over the world and preventing future tragedies. The WHF convenes “Let My People Live!” International Forums on a regular basis.
2006 – The second “Let My People Live!” International Forum took place in Kiev, Ukraine, in September 2006 to mark 65 years since the Babi Yar tragedy. The Forum enjoyed great support from leading international institutions and organisations, such as the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), as well as high-ranking politicians from many countries. The Forum’s participants adopted a joint World Holocaust Forum Declaration, aimed at preserving the eternal memory of the Babi Yar tragedy and its lessons, as well as the memory of the millions of victims of World War II, the Holocaust and its legacy for generations to come. The document expressed joint support for the initiative to hold the next “Let My People Live!” International Forum in November of 2008 to commemorate 70 years since die Kristallnacht.
Since 2006 – Key founder and Chairman of the European Jewish Fund (EJF), which focuses on promoting Jewish life throughout Europe by supporting programmes to reinforce Jewish identity and Jewish pride, especially by re-connecting people with their rich and vital Jewish heritage. The Fund also focuses on addressing pressing concerns threatening Jewish life in Europe, such as assimilation, anti-Semitism and racism. The primary principle of the Fund is to maintain a round table where all members can speak openly and participate as equals.
Since 2007 - President of the International Luxembourg Conference on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, the largest non-government expert institution of its kind uniting leading, world-renowned experts on non-proliferation of nuclear arms, materials and delivery vehicles. The Forum was established pursuant to the decision of the International Conference on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe held in Luxembourg on May 24-25, 2007. The Conference hosted an unprecedented gathering of leading international experts on nuclear non-proliferation. Over 50 of the most authoritative experts from 14 countries took part in the Conference, including Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei. The vital importance of pressing nuclear security issues, the growing danger of the existing non-proliferation system, which is drifting toward collapse, and the reality of the nuclear threat prompted the initiative to convene the Conference.
Initiator and supporter of a pan-European programme for effectively counteracting the escalation of xenophobia, anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism in Europe, and for fighting extremism and other threats to civilization. The programme brings together various spheres, including education, culture and religion, and is endorsed by many political leaders and prominent institutions, such as the Council of Europe and the European Union.

Co-author and co-organizer of the European Week of Tolerance - a series of events held in November 2008 in Brussels, Prague, and Kaliningrad to fight against human rights violation, xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of extremism. This initiative brought together European leaders and major NGOs who reiterated their commitment to promote tolerance throughout Europe.

Business and Science
After graduation, Mr. Kanto`r headed a leading Soviet laboratory engaged in developing spacecraft. A reflector satellite was designed using his research and subsequently launched into Earth orbit to illuminate the planet’s surface with reflected sunlight.
1993 – Took the helm at Acron agrochemical company. Under Mr. Kantor’s supervision, Acron has become one of the world’s leading fertilizer producers and distributors. The Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs have recognized Acron as ‘Best Russian Enterprise’ nine times.
1996-2000 – Economic Adviser to the Chairman of the Federation Council (the Upper House of the Russian Parliament) of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
2000 – Contributed to founding the National Institute for Corporate Reform (NICR), a non-profit organisation uniting renowned politicians, business leaders and scholars to provide effective support for corporate reform in Russian industry. Kantor is currently President of the NICR.

Personal Data

Education
Graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute (1976)
PhD (Spacecraft Automatic Control Systems, 1981)
Honorary Doctorate from Tel-Aviv University (2004)

Government awards of several countries
Order of Friendship (Russia, 1998)
Order of Merit (Poland, 2005)
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (Ukraine, 2006)
Order of Leopold (Belgium, 2009).

Born on September 8, 1953, in Moscow, Russia. Has three sons and a daughter.