Modelled on the E3, which brings together the same three European countries on common geopolitical issues including negotiations with Iran and peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, the new grouping will seek to offer Jewish communal input into these and other topics of common interest.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France (Le Crif) and the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland (Germany), discussed the new partnership on the margins of a conference of the Anti-Defamation League’s J7 – The Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism in Berlin. All three organisations are also proud members of the J7.
The new grouping is intended to complement existing umbrellas such as the the World Jewish Congress, the European Jewish Congress, and the J7, in much the same way as the E3 complements the work of the United Nations, the European Union, and the G7.
Commenting on the creating of the new alliance, the respective presidents of the three organisations, Phil Rosenberg of the Board of Deputies, Dr Josef Schuster of the Zentralrat and Yonathan Arfi of Le Crif, said:
“It is our hope that the JE3 will become a powerful voice for our communities on issues that we care about together. It is particularly significant that we brought together the new grouping in Berlin, 80 years after the end of the Holocaust. This is a show of intent by our three flourishing communities that we are committed to boosting Jewish life in our respective countries, cooperating in the fight against antisemitism, and enhancing bilateral and multilateral relations between our countries and Israel. We look forward to deepening our work together over the coming years”.
