Source: Ynet News
More than 250 presidents and executive directors of Jewish Community Centers and JCC networks from 30 countries representing over 1,100 JCCs convened in Ramat Gan's Kfar Maccabiah Hotel for the eighth World Conference of the World Confederation of Jewish Community Centers. The four-day (November 2-5, 2009) event focused on the effect of Israel’s deteriorating international image on Diaspora Jewry and finding innovative ways face this challenge by connecting Jews to their community, to Israel and to the Jewish people.
Several sessions were also devoted to the global financial crisis, which has had a negative effect on Jewish wealth and has led to a drastic drop in donations and resources for community and educational projects and programs. At the conference, presenters suggested a number of sustainable models to confront this challenge.
Additional issues discussed at the Conference were: community building, creative models of Jewish education in the JCCs, cultivating local leadership, mobilizing resources and promoting volunteerism.
Among the delegates attending the Conference were Jewish leaders from Azerbaijan, Argentina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Mexico, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, and Venezuela.