PHILANTHROPY

Ronald Lauder

President, World Jewish Congress

President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder is one of the most influential Jewish figures in the world.

Heir to the Estee Lauder fortune, Lauder helped revive Jewish communities in Europe and the Soviet Union, aided Benjamin Netanyahu at the beginning of his political career, and served as chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations before becoming WJC head in 2007.

As one commentator noted, as WJC chief, Lauder has “access to major global leaders and statesmen, as well as the heads of moderate Arab states. He liaises closely with Israeli leaders and has assumed a crucial role in the struggle against the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement and global antisemitism.”

Most recently, Lauder has become an unofficial liaison between the Trump administration, the Netanyahu government, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Photo credit: Screenshot.)