Ahead of critical peace talks in Washington DC between Israelis and Palestinians, the heads of Jewish communities from around the world will gather in Jerusalem for a meeting of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Governing Board on August 31st and September 1st. The gathering will focus on ways to fight the growing threats against Israel. It will be addressed by senior statesmen from Israel and abroad.

Writer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Elie Wiesel will be presented with the first WJC ‘Guardian of Jerusalem’ award in recognition of his lifetime accomplishments on behalf of the Jewish people. Members of the Israeli Haiti emergency rescue operation will receive a special award for their heroic humanitarian efforts in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

The WJC meeting will be attended by over 200 leaders and guests representing Jewish communities and organizations around the world. It will adopt the future priorities and action plans of the organization and discuss the difficult situation faced by certain Jewish communities.