{"id":113927,"date":"2026-05-14T17:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/113927\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T17:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:12:11","slug":"lauder-israel-must-urgently-repair-ties-with-diaspora-jews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/113927\/","title":{"rendered":"Lauder: Israel must urgently repair ties with Diaspora Jews"},"content":{"rendered":"

The relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry must be urgently strengthened, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder<\/a> said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post as the organization marked 90 years since its founding in Geneva.<\/p>\n

Reflecting upon the WJC\u2019s historic mission and contemporary challenges, Lauder warned that Israel could no longer take Diaspora Jews for granted, calling them \u201camong the most important ambassadors of the Jewish state throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bond between Israel and the Diaspora<\/a> cannot be taken for granted,\u201d Lauder told the Post. \u201cIt must be nurtured, respected, and protected for future generations. We must repair any cracks before it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comments came as the WJC formally marked 90 years since its founding in Geneva with a week of events and meetings focused on rising antisemitism, global extremism, and the security of Jewish communities worldwide.<\/p>\n

Lauder, who took over the presidency of the WJC from Edgar Bronfman in 2007, said he understood early on that antisemitism in the modern era would increasingly be expressed through hostility toward Israel.<\/p>\n

\"WorldWorld Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder speaks to Jewish leaders in Geneva in May 2026. (credit: SHAHAR AZRAN)<\/p>\n

\u201cI understood very early that the new antisemitism would increasingly become antisemitism directed against or motivated by animosity toward the State of Israel,\u201d he told the Post. \u201cThat realization shaped much of my work from the very beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said this led him to focus beyond Europe and the United States, including by building relationships in the Middle East and across the broader Arab world.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecuring the future of the Jewish people also means advancing the standing and legitimacy of Judaism in the Arab world,\u201d Lauder said.<\/p>\n

At the same time, he said, the Israeli-Arab conflict must eventually move toward resolution, arguing that without long-term regional stability, threats facing Israel and Jewish communities would continue to evolve.<\/p>\n

When asked whether the wave of antisemitism after the October 7 massacre represented a temporary surge or something deeper, Lauder said the threat had been building long before Hamas\u2019s attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe warning signs were already on the wall,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat we are witnessing is not simply a religious conflict. It is far deeper than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauder said Israel\u2019s enemies were driven by \u201cradical extremist ideologies\u201d that also targeted the Western world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe enemies of Israel are driven by radical extremist ideologies that oppose the Western world itself, Christians and Jews alike,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are forces that reject democracy, tolerance, and freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that the American administration understood the danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Donald Trump<\/a> understands the meaning of this threat and the broader consequences of ignoring the root of the problem,\u201d Lauder said.<\/p>\n

Lauder also praised Trump\u2019s record on Jewish and Israel-related issues, saying he believed the president had shown a deep understanding of Jewish values and Israel\u2019s importance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have said this before, and I will say it again: President Trump is one of the presidents who has most deeply understood Jewish values and the importance of the State of Israel,\u201d he said. \u201cIn my opinion, he is the most pro-Zionist president I have known since President Ronald Reagan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning to Iran, Lauder said the threat remained unresolved.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mission is not yet complete,\u201d he said. \u201cIran remains one of the central threats to global stability and to the security of Israel and the Jewish people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauder said he believed that Trump would deal decisively with the Iranian threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe president of the United States understands this clearly, and I believe with all my heart that he will bring this issue to a decisive resolution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

‘Only education can truly bridge the gaps’<\/p>\n

Lauder also reflected on his long investment in Jewish education, particularly through the Lauder schools, which were established to help rebuild Jewish identity in communities devastated by the Holocaust and decades of communist rule.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly education could truly bridge the gaps created by history and rebuild Jewish continuity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The goal, he added, was never simply to build schools, but to restore \u201cbelonging, confidence, and the foundational values of the Jewish people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we opened the first Lauder kindergarten in postwar Eastern Europe, many people believed it was impossible,\u201d he said. \u201cToday, seeing thousands of graduates, thriving Jewish communities, and young families rebuilding Jewish life, proves that education remains the strongest guarantee of the Jewish future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauder also said that Holocaust restitution work remained unfinished, with stolen Jewish property, dormant bank accounts, art, and other assets still not returned to their rightful owners.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is still Jewish property stolen during the Holocaust<\/a> that has never been returned,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are still dormant bank accounts, works of art, and assets that rightfully belong to Jewish families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Restitution, he said, was also a moral issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cRestitution is not only about money or property,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is about dignity, historical truth, and moral responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the next generation would have to continue the effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis work will not end with my generation,\u201d Lauder said. \u201cThe next generation will have to continue this mission until justice is achieved wherever possible. I am sure more information will come to light in the future that will allow justice to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked what he would tell his mother if she walked into his office today, Lauder said his work had been guided by the values she imparted to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would tell her that, thanks to the Jewish values she gave me, love of humanity, hard work, responsibility, and commitment to our people, I dedicated my life to helping lead and strengthen the Jewish people around the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything I have done has been guided by those values,\u201d Lauder added. \u201cI hope I have made her proud.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry must be urgently strengthened, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113928,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[5143,9921,37,39404,16106],"class_list":{"0":"post-113927","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-diaspora","9":"tag-diaspora-jews","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-ronald-lauder","12":"tag-world-jewish-congress"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116574050359981728","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}