Israel Singer

For the novelist, see Israel Joshua Singer.

Israel Singer (born July 29, 1942 in New York City)^{[citation needed]} is an American rabbi and political scientist who was Secretary General of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) from 1986 to 2001.

Life

Singer grew up in Brooklyn, the son of Austrian refugees. He graduated from Yeshiva Torah Vodaath high school in 1960^[1] and remained for a several year semicha program.

Singer teaches political science at Touro University, New York, Lander College for Men,^[2] and previously taught at the Bar-Ilan University in Israel.^[3] He is also the Vice President of International Affairs for Touro University.

Singer has been an activist and advocate on behalf of the victims of the Holocaust. As chairman of the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), he managed efforts to compensate Holocaust survivors monetarily. He also negotiated with Germany and Austria about annuities and compensation for survivors.^{[citation needed]}

Singer served as Secretary-General of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) from 1986 until 2001.^[4][5] In October 2001, he was elected chairman of the Governing Board WJC. In 2002, he was elected president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, the "Claims Conference". In June 2002, he was elected chairman of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC). On January 11, 2005, Singer resigned as Secretary General of the WJC at its Plenary Meeting in Brussels. A replacement was elected, and Singer was elected to the Chair of the WJC Policy Committee.^[6][7]

During Singer's term at WJC, he was active in exposing and publicizing the Nazi past of United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim^[8]. Singer reportedly would stage one-man protests inside and outside of the U.N. in protest of Waldheim's position.

Israel Singer is a co-founder of Yahad-In Unum, an organization founded by priest Patrick Desbois, and dedicated to research on the Holocaust by Bullets.^{[citation needed]}

Singer also acted as vice-chairman of the Yad Vashem Council.^[9]

Resignation from the World Jewish Congress

In early 2006, the WJC reached a settlement with the New York State Attorney General's office regarding its finances.^[5] The signed agreement barred Singer from any future financial management or oversight roles at the WJC and required him to repay $132,000 of improperly disbursed funds to the organization.^[5] The state's report faulted the WJC for "inappropriate disbursements" and lax controls, but found "no criminal conduct" and emphasized that the shortcomings "did not compromise the core mission" of the WJC or result in any loss of charitable assets.^[5] After the settlement, Singer was named to head a newly created WJC Policy Council(an advisory group).^[5]

In March 2007, WJC president Bronfman announced that Singer was being dismissed as chairman of the policy council.^[5] By that time Bronfman, who had defended Singer during the 2006 inquiry, alleged that Singer had engaged in financial misconduct. Singer denied any wrongdoing, calling the accusations "groundless".^[4] On August 17, 2007, lawsuits were filed by both Bronfman and the WJC in the Supreme Court of New York County; Bronfman's suit claimed "that Singer did not pay back more than $500,000 in personal loans stemming from a 2004 investigation by the New York State Attorney General into the WJC's finances." As a result of that investigation, Singer was required to pay back more than $300,000 to the organization. The WJC suit claimed that Singer "never returned WJC property such as computers, televisions, cellular phones and BlackBerries, that amount to $19,500."^[10][11] Singer described the filings as baseless "nuisance suit[s]" and reiterated his innocence.^[11]

Books

• Levin, Itamar; translated by Natasha Dornberg; forewords by Edgar Bronfman, Israel Singer, and Avraham Burg (1999). The last deposit: Swiss banks and Holocaust victims' accounts. Westport, Conn.: Praeger. ISBN 978-0275965204.
• Gregg J. Rickman (1999). Swiss Banks and Jewish Souls. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-1560004264.

Notes

1. Torah Vodaath High School (1960). "The Scroll" (PDF).
2. University, Touro. "Israel Singer, PhD, JD, MA". www.touro.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
3. Second Generation Voices: Reflections by Children of Holocaust Survivors and Perpetrators. Religion, theology, and the Holocaust. Alan L. Berger, Naomi Berger (eds.) (1st ed.). Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press. 2001. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-8156-2884-2.
4. "Singer 'shocked' by Bronfman attack". The Jerusalem Post. 2007-03-23. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
5. Rosenblatt, Gary (2006-02-03). "Spitzer Demands WJC Reforms". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
6. "World Jewish Congress Adopts Governance Reforms". New York State Attorney General. 31 January 2006.
7. "Preliminary Statement" (PDF). New York State Attorney General. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-07.
8. Rosenbaum, Eli (1993). Betrayal: The Untold Story of the Kurt Waldheim Investigation and Cover-Up. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312082192.
9. "Chairman of the Board of Trustees, World Jewish Congress - Dr. Israel Singer". YadVashem.org. The World Holocaust Remembrance Center. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
10. "WJC and Bronfman sue Singer". Cleveland Jewish News. 2007-08-24.
11. Harris, Ben (2007-08-22). "WJC and Bronfman sue Singer". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

External links

• Yad Vashem Interview
• "Restitution: The Second Round: An Interview with Israel Singer". Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. November 2, 2003. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
• "World Jewish Congress & Iran". isracast.com. February 10, 2006. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
• Amiram Barkat (March 22, 2007). "Israel Singer fired from WJC for Allegedly Embezzling Funds". Haaretz. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
• Stephanie Strom (March 16, 2007). "World Jewish Congress Dismisses Leader". The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
• "Q&A with WJC Chairman Israel Singer". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 3 April 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2014.