President of the European Jewish Congress and Vice-President of the World Jewish Congress, the Austrian Ariel Muzicant is one of the greatest Jewish authorities. In this column, published by “Le Point”, he asks President Emmanuel Macron – along with the German and Austrian Chancellors, as well as the Italian Prime Minister – about the fate of his predecessor, Moshe Kantor, that the European Union accused of supporting Vladimir Putin and placed on the sanctions list. A bad target, for Ariel Muzicant, who bluntly defends this senior Jewish official wrongly attacked, according to him.

Mister President,

I want to draw your attention to the case of Dr. Moshe Kantor who was placed, in April 2022 by the European Union, on the list of individuals subject to sanctions for being close to Russia. This decision is not only incomprehensible, but perfectly strange, even absurd. It is motivated by no proof, no explanation.

Dr. Moshe Kantor is accused of being close to Vladimir Putin, of being part of the group of oligarchs who surround him and help him in his war against Ukraine: nothing could be further from the truth! Mr. Kantor is nothing more than one of the beneficial owners of a Russian company that manufactures fertilizers. Half of his family is Ukrainian. He left Russia over thirty years ago and is now a British citizen.

I know well Dr. Moshe Kantor, whom I succeeded as head of the European Jewish Congress. I worked with him. I have been impressed, throughout this time, by his great contribution to the well-being and sustenance of our communities in Europe.

He has put in place an unparalleled security apparatus to protect these communities at a time when violent anti-Semitism and terrorism have begun to threaten us like never before (Sacc by EJC [European Jewish Congress Security and Crisis Center, Ed. ]).

He placed the preservation of the memory of the Holocaust at the center of the international agenda, mobilizing the highest heads of state and government, advocating tirelessly for the education of the younger generations, working, like few of us, that the greatest crime against humanity will never be forgotten or denied.

As founder and chairman of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, Moshe Kantor organized five international forums, the last of which was co-hosted at Yad Vashem in 2020, in conjunction with the President of the State of Israel Reuven Rivlin, marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.

About fifty European and world leaders gathered on this occasion to pledge to perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust and to fight against anti-Semitism. You were there, Mr. Speaker, and I know you were personally moved.

Moshe Kantor has also created targeted tools for use by national governments and pan-European organizations to combat antisemitism and, more recently, he has led initiatives within our communities in Europe to protect refugees fleeing war.

For all this work against anti-Semitism, racism, exclusion, he has benefited from wide public recognition. European Heads of State and Government, including those of the French Republic, have awarded him the most prestigious distinctions.

Faced with the war in Ukraine, the decisions of the European Union require precision, efficiency and justice. The decision to sanction Moshe Kantor, the only Jewish leader democratically elected to this position on several occasions, is incomprehensible and in no way contributes to the achievement of the fundamental objectives pursued, in the face of this war, by Europe. Above all, it is deeply unfair because the targeting of this Jewish leader who has been the voice and support of Jewish communities in Europe for almost twenty years directly affects Jewish organisations, communities and life on the European continent.

Collateral damage ripples through the multiple programs he personally initiated and directed. They affect the well-being and safety of our communities. They sow confusion among us and paralyze our action.

Sanctioning Dr. Moshe Kantor does nothing to help the cause of peace in Europe, but does deep harm to the Jews of Europe. This action destroys Jewish life in Europe. Without Dr. Kantor’s support and leadership, dozens of projects had to be stopped, especially in the area of ??security.

It is for these reasons that I cannot remain silent and allow myself this letter. If I am pleading the cause of Moshe Kantor with you, Mr. President, it is because I know the authority you enjoy throughout the world, particularly on the European continent.

I am convinced that you will use this influence and this moral authority to obtain the revision of the sanction which strikes him. Removing the name of Dr. Moshe Kantor from the list of [persons subject to] sanctions, dispelling the misunderstanding, redressing the injustice and doing it very quickly, is a political and moral demand that concerns us all.

Thank you, Mr. President, for your attention to this letter.

Respectful greetings,

Dr. Ariel Musician