On October 6, 2008, President of the European Jewish Congress Viatcheslav Kantor met in Brussels with leaders of local Jewish organizations. The meeting brought together over 50 senior members of the Belgian Jewish community to discuss xenophobia, education, commemoration and the future of European Jewry for more than three hours.
In his address, the EJC president shared his concern over rising anti-Semitism in Belgium and in Europe as a whole. Kantor discussed the necessity of in-depth Holocaust studies in schools and universities. He also stressed that it is essential to promote the Jewish identity and pride for Jewish people and outstanding Jews among young people. One of the ways Kantor envisions accomplishing this is via the LEADEL (Leading Elite) project (www.leadel.net ), which has already gained popularity with young Jews in the short time since its launch.
The briefing also touched on the nuclear threat and the cooperation of European states with rogue nations. Representatives of the Belgian community listened to a report on the activities of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe and on EJC legislative initiatives aimed at promoting tolerance and fighting racism, xenophobia, extremism and anti-Semitism.