The ANNOTICO Report

Pierre Besnainou, a Tunisian born Frenchman was elected President of the
European Jewish Congress, a body that represents the Jewish communities in
38 countries in Europe, having a combined population of 2.5 million Jews.
His election to the post as nothing short of a sensation. He deposed the
departing president, the Italian Kobi Benatoff. Benatoff is considered a
protege of billionaire Edgar Bronfman, the "big boss" of the World Jewish
Congress, and the trusted ally of the almost-eternal chairman of the WJC,
Dr. Israel Singer. In addition, Benatoff succeeded in enlisting to his side
Moshe Kantor, a highly influential Russian oligarch, who contended that the
delegates of the Congress from Eastern Europe were "in his pocket."

However, in the secret ballot that was held at the General Assembly of the
EJC, Besnainou handily beat Benatoff. In retrospect, sources in the
organization said, Kantor and the Americans did not do Benatoff any favor,
as their support aroused antagonism among the delegates.

Besnainou has forceful criticized American-Jewish organizations such as
AIPAC, the American Jewish Committee (David Harris) and the Anti-Defamation
League (Abraham Foxman). Besnainou alleged that those "American"
organizations were "meddling" in European Jewish matters. He charged that
American Jews do not understand the complex political reality in Europe or
the rules of the game, which is played differently than in the United
States, and hinted that they were acting out of motives related to
fund-raising.

Besnainou said, "It is true that the Americans are much stronger than us in
money and professional experience, but they cannot substitute for us. Only
we, the Jews of Europe, can be a bridge between Israel and Europe."

Haaretz
By Amiram Barkat
Thu., July 28, 2005 Tamuz 21, 5765

It isn't anti-Semitism nor assimilation, and not even relations with Muslim
immigrants. The subject that should be bothering European Jews more than
anything else is what will happen in the Middle East after the
disengagement plan is complete. At least that is what Pierre Besnainou
thinks.

Besnainou is the brand-new president of the European Jewish Congress, the
most important Jewish umbrella organization in Europe. Besnainou is worried
about "the day after" in Israel after the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip
and northern Samaria. "The United States will come with Europe to the
negotiating table," he explains, "and I feel that this time, as opposed to
Iraq, the Americans will demonstrate a willingness to accept some of the
European demands [as regards continuation of the diplomatic process -
A.B.], demands that Israel strongly opposes."

As Besnainou sees it, the potential clash with Europe entails a risk not
only to Israel but also to European Jews, "at least those of them who see
their future in Europe. It is hard to put into words just how much the
situation of European Jews is affected by the relations between Europe and
Israel. We've gone through a very tough time in the past four years, in
which the media has attacked Israel. People often told me, `Your prime
minister, Ariel Sharon,' or `Your ambassador, Nissim Zvili.' I had to
remind them that my prime minister is the prime minister of France.

Besnainou, 50, is a Tunisian-born French businessman. He says that the two
main objectives that the European Jewish Congress will focus on during his
presidency will be the fight against anti-Semitism and a public-relations
and information effort for Israel. "We have to act now, before the
negotiations are renewed, to try to explain Israel in Europe and try to
change the way that Europeans view the conflict in the Middle East," he
says.

Pierre Besnainou is one of the most interesting Jewish leaders in Europe
today, at least in terms of his personal background and his original views.
Born and raised in North Africa, he describes himself as a Zionist and
believes that the future of European Jews is in Israel. He does not
perceive any threat from the Muslims in Europe, and does not flinch at
clashing with powerful American-Jewish organizations when they invade what
he considers European Jewish territory.

Failure first

He arrived in France when he was 18 to study, and decided to stay. His
first career was importing electrical good from the Far East. He suffered a
stinging business failure, and then tried his luck in the Internet field,
where he in a short while managed to grow very wealthy. In the 1990s,
Besnainou founded the French Internet portal Liberty-Surf, which was sold
in 2001 to an Italian communications giant for over $600 million. As one of
the major shareholders in the portal, Besnainou walked away with profits
estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. Following the sale, he
traveled through the world and decided to change direction once again. Ever
since then, Besnainou has been active in what he calls "my third career" -
public activity in the Jewish establishment.

In late June, he was elected to head the European Jewish Congress, a body
that represents the Jewish communities in 38 countries in Europe, which
according to the EJC have a combined population of 2.5 million Jews.
Sources in the European-Jewish world described his election to the post as
nothing short of a sensation. His adversary in the election was the
departing president of the Congress, the Italian Kobi Benatoff. In the race
between the two, Benatoff enjoyed some distinct advantages: he is
considered a protege of billionaire Edgar Bronfman, the "big boss" of the
World Jewish Congress, and the trusted ally of the almost-eternal chairman
of the WJC, Dr. Israel Singer. In addition, Benatoff succeeded in enlisting
to his side Moshe Kantor, a highly influential Russian oligarch, who
contended that the delegates of the Congress from Eastern Europe were "in
his pocket."

However, in the secret ballot that was held at the General Assembly of the
EJC, Besnainou handily beat Benatoff. In retrospect, sources in the
organization said, Kantor and the Americans did not do Benatoff any favor,
as their support aroused antagonism among the delegates. Besnainou's
campaign was short, but effective. In the two weeks leading up to the
election, he conducted a shuttle tour of no fewer than 22 countries. "I
discovered that there are quite a few North American Jews in Eastern
Europe, but evidently that did not prevent the Jews there from placing
their trust in me," he jokes.

Besnainou may be credited with several forceful statements in the past
year, criticizing American-Jewish organizations such as AIPAC, the American
Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League. Besnainou alleged that the
organizations were carrying on contacts with heads of government in Europe
"over the heads" of local Jewish communities. He charged that American Jews
do not understand the complex political reality in Europe or the rules of
the game, which is played differently than in the United States, and hinted
that they were acting out of motives related to fund-raising.

The Americans fought back. "These are insulting, degrading and ugly
allegations," Abraham Foxman of the ADL told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
He charged Besnainou with ingratitude, and said it was the French that
asked for his organization's intervention.

The director-general of the American Jewish Committee, David Harris, said
that his organization was coordinated with the European organizations. He
termed Besnainou's accusation "untenable and unfounded."

Following his election as president of the EJC, Besnainou decided to soften
his tone. In an interview in Tel Aviv two weeks ago, he said, "It is true
that the Americans are much stronger than us in money and professional
experience, but they cannot substitute for us. Only we, the Jews of Europe,
can be a bridge between Israel and Europe."

A new face

Besnainou has brought to the pallid and drab world of European Jewish
public activity not only young blood and a tanned face, but also some
unexpected beliefs. Besnainou has some original, if not irregular,
positions on some of the major items on the agenda, and in particular the
relations between Jews and Muslims in Europe, and immigration to Israel.
Unlike his colleagues, he does not consider Muslim immigrants in Europe to
be a threat; rather, they are a potential ally in the fight against the
Jews' true enemy, the extreme right.

"As a Jew I feel much less comfortable in Poland than in Tunis," he says.
"Jews and Muslims were able to live in peace and coexistence for hundreds
of years in North Africa and the East, and I believe that in the end they
will also learn how to live that way in Europe, too. I am much more
troubled by the old virus of Christian anti-Semitism, which has in the past
few years become increasingly more real. In September, there is going to be
a mass assembly of neo-Nazis from all over Europe in Greece, with the
government's approval. In Bulgaria, a neo-Nazi party was elected to
parliament. In Russia, the affair of the investigation of the `Kitzur
Shulhan Aruch' is far from over. If we do not raise awareness of these
phenomena among the wider European public, no one will know about them. We
must fight these phenomena now, because otherwise it will end in disaster."

Two airplanes landed in Israel last Monday with about 330 new immigrants
from France. Many of them came through Ami, an organization that Besnainou
founded last year to encourage immigration from France to Israel. Its
annual budget is $1.5 million, completely underwritten by Besnainou.

Asked if he himself is considering immigration to Israel, Besnainou offers
a somewhat evasive answer. "My daughter, who got married not too long ago,
is hoping to immigrate next year, and I hope that my other two children
will follow her example. Like my own parents, who came to France after my
brother, and me, I believe I will come to Israel in the children's
footsteps. My future is in Israel."

Besnainou relates that he has been asked on more than one occasion during
his election campaign for presidency of the EJC, how the position was
compatible with his pro-immigration to Israel activity and his belief that
the future of all European Jews is in Israel. "I said that I see
immigration as a personal decision, but if someone decides to immigrate to
Israel, I believe that it is the responsibility of his community to assist
him in fulfilling his desire in every possible way."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=605126&contrassID=19