'Once in a decade’ conference opens in Berlin

European and former Soviet Union Jewish leaders emphasize support for Israel and strategize a boycott of Iran.

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
tomer orni 248 (photo credit: Courtesy)
tomer orni 248
(photo credit: Courtesy)
BERLIN – Jewish community leaders from Europe and the former Soviet Union opened a “Once a Decade” conference in Berlin on Sunday to emphasize their support for Israel and strategize a boycott of Iran.
The conference is organized by the European Council of Jewish Communities, the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Central Welfare Agency for German Jews.
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Held under the banner “European Jewish Leadership is United against the Holocaust denier Ahmadinejad,” the conference is hosting Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger and Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, who spoke to the attendees on Sunday night.
The subjects scheduled for discussion at the conference include relations between Europe and Israel, the role of the media in the Middle East conflict, relations between Jewish communities of the former Soviet Union and Europe as well as ties between the American Jewish communities and the Jews of Europe.
Organizers of the conference have said that one of the main goals of the meeting will be discussing the role of emerging Jewish communities in “New Europe,” the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and their growing role in worldwide Jewish affairs. They will also seek to discuss how these communities can play a greater role in such issues in the coming years.