LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE IN BRUSSELS
During the Conference of Presidents' leadership mission to Brussels and Israel in March, Jerzy Kichler, President of Poland's Jewish Communities declared, "We have legal problems and budgetary problems, but we have hope." He continued, "A few years ago, we appeared to be heading for destruction, but now the mood is very different --today, we are not only concerned about survival but about revival."

Kichler attributed this phenomenon in large part to Ronald S. Lauder, who is both President of the Foundation that bears his name and newly-elected Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Fifty-Five Major American Jewish Organizations.

There was unanimous agreement among the region's representatives that neither Jewish life nor Jewish education could have been reborn in their communities without the initiatives and actions of The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, which currently supports Jewish educational programs in 13 countries.

After welcoming remarks, Mr. Lauder, who chaired one of the most significant panel discussions, The European Jewish Community Facing the 21st Century -- Challenges from Within, engaged Jewish leaders from the United States in a fruitful dialogue with their Central and Eastern European colleagues.

Recognizing the increasingly important role that Europe as a whole and the European Jewish Communities play in vital issues of global Jewish concern, the Conference leadership felt their mission was particularly timely and significant. Indeed, it proved to be a very positive and productive event that not only provided an international forum for discussion, but also helped reinforce the accomplishments and goals of the Foundation's work in Central and Eastern Europe.

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