Goot appointed to committee to assess Claims Conference

ajn staff

EXECUTIVE Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Robert Goot has been appointed to a special committee by Julius Berman, chairman of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany -– or Claims Conference.

The move comes after reports of infighting between Israeli and Diaspora delegates at a meeting of the organisation in New York in July.

The 14-person committee will analyse and assess the viability of the Claims Conference’s current structure and make recommendations on changes to its representation.

It will also look into the health of the organisation’s public image, after a documentary released earlier this year accused it of withholding up to $1 billion in funds -– a claim the board has vehemently refuted.

Goot said the appointment was a vindication of the ECAJ’s contribution to the worldwide effort to claim compensation and restitution for Holocaust survivors.

“The inclusion on the special committee of the president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry is significant recognition by a major international Jewish organisation of the importance and standing of the ECAJ and Australian Jewry’s continuing substantial contributions in the councils of world Jewry,” said Goot, the only Australian on the committee.

“I look forward to participating in this important project at a critical time in the affairs of the Claims Conference.”