Pierre BESNAINOU
50 yrs old, born in Tunis,Tunisia-
French citizen
Married with three children
CEO of financial company
Vice President of :
n World Jewish Congress –French Section
n European Jewish Congress
Co-Treasurer of World Jewish Congress
Board member of :
n Keren Hayesod France ( FSJU)
n Weizmann France – Europe
n Paris Community Center
n Chamber of Commerce France Israël
Member of Shimon Peres Center for Peace (Israel) Board of Governors
“I want the European peoples become reconciled with judaism and Israel”
Dear Friends,
“to garantee the dignity and integrity of Jewry world wide”
BesnainouPierre
I am presenting myself as a candidate for the pre-
sidency 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 your-
selves suggested and I am committed to imple-
menting 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 buil-
ding of the European identity cannot and should
not be ignored.
Our task is to solicit from the institutions and peo-
ple 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
Therefore I propose :
n the organization of international conferen-
ces, as well as religious realities of Jerusalem,
and conferences on the statute of the refugees,
which will add to our actions intellectual
content, necessary for effectiveness as much as
credibility.
n regular publication of a review and back-
ground documentation on relevant topics to
be addressed to our political interlocutors.
n organize fieldtrips for journalists and mem-
bers of Parliament, with the intention of allo-
wing them to discover the quality, complexity
and veracity of Israeli society.
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 Israel’s side, while respecting their demo-
cratic 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
T
Building bridges between Europe and Israel
Peace-making32
Let's remain together faithful to the profundity ofthe thought to the necessity of action.
It is our role as Jewish leaders and as Zionists to be the fervent promoters of the peace process in the Middle East
It is as part of a strong and unified World Jewish Congressthat our actions will have strengthand show results.
1
s Jews in Europe, we are confronted
with the harsh reality, a reality which
grates on our collective conscience and troubles
our emotions: simply put, Europe does not
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
defiant to the reality which is Israel: the survival
of the Jewish State (and survival means the right
to defend oneself) is the guarantee of the dignity
and the integrity of Jews worldwide.
The first mission of the European Jewish
Congress is to take an active role in bringing
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.
A
t is no longer a question, it is a fact: Europe,
where, after the Holocaust, even the idea of
anti-Semitism should be unbearable to any
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
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 ".
n Trialogues between Jews, Christians and Muslims.
n Bringing together Jews and Muslims of everyday society;
businessmen, scientists, writers, journalists.
n On the European scale, a widening of Judeo-Christians
alliances, which have seen in fifty years, in the countries
where these alliances are exercised, advances of remarkable
proportions in eradicating two thousand years of anti-
Semitism.
what we live is on the contrary the beginning dis-
tressing of something whose we do not know the
term. I estimate in any case that history gives to the
Jews the right and the duty to be anxious.We the-
refore no longer have the right to be at ease, care-
free and even less so, resigned.Vis-a-vis with anti-
Semitism,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:
n 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
and Europe cannot be, indeed that intellectual.
n That the European Jewish Congress creates an
Observatory of the anti-Semitism, charged with
the supervision of all demonstrations, all resur-
gences of anti-Jewish hatred in Europe.
n That the European Jewish Congress publishes
a monthly list of anti-Semitic aggressions: to be
vigilant, indeed, foremost to see and say how it
is, to speak the truth.
n That the European Jewish Congress is the
voice of everyone i.e. to defend and be a voice
for the small communities, in particular in
Eastern Europe, which very often do not have
the demographic, political, legal and financial
means to be heard.
To achieve this goal, I wish to propose to open a
representative office of the EJC in Brussels. This
office will be under the supervision of the EJC
Secretary General. I will also favorably consider
the opening of representative offices in Central &
Eastern Europe to serve the small communities.
IFighting antisemitism
1. Medbridge Field Trip to Israel of 150 EuropeanParliamentarians in Jerusalem October 2003.
2. Meeting between French Chief Rabbi Joseph Sitruk and TunisianPresident Ben Ali in Tunis December 2004
3. Security Fence Symposium in Paris December 2003 attended byHis Excellency the Ambassador of Israel to France, Nissim Zvili andIsraeli Ministers M Sheetrit and M Ben Eliezer.
4."Solidarity for Israel" demonstration attended by Israeli DeputyPrime Minister Shimon Peres and Minister of Defense Saul Mofazin Paris April 2005
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n together faithful to the profundity ofthe thought to the necessity of action.