ICJP MISSION AND STRUCTURE

Mission Statement

The International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians seeks:

To promote an ongoing dialogue and a sense of fraternity among Jewish legislators and ministers;

To uphold the principles of democracy, further the cause of human rights and promote the rule of law;

To combat racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, terrorism and Holocaust denial by all means available to parliamentarians and ministers;

To support Israel, conduct dialogue on political issues between Jewish parliamentarians and the political leadership in Israel, and contribute toward the creation of enduring peace in the Middle East;

To ensure the welfare, both material and spiritual, of Jews and Jewish communities worldwide.

To create international cooperation on projects relevant to ICJP members.

Membership

Membership shall be open to:

1. Jewish members of national parliaments and of the European Parliament, cabinet or deputy ministers who currently hold office;

2. A permanent delegation of ten percent of the Knesset who will participate in the activities of the Council.

Where a country has no Jewish representation in its parliament, former Jewish parliamentarians may be considered by the Executive for membership, ad personam. Membership will also be open to outstanding former parliamentarians who can inspire present-day leaders as determined by the Executive.

To participate, Members must accept the mission of the organization as set out above.

Operating Structure

The ICJP meeting in January will include a presentation by the Steering Committee for the Council to determine a structure and operating guidelines for going forward. It is likely to include the following:

The organization shall be called the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians.

There will be an Assembly, Executive Committee, Committees, and a Secretariat.

The headquarters of the organization will be in Jerusalem.

The Assembly will meet once a year.

The organization will be registered as a legal entity in Israel.

A Steering Committee will administer the affairs of the organization until the first meeting of the Assembly, when the Executive Committee will be elected.

MEMBERS OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE

Effective June 26, 2005

Lord Janner of Braunstone, Q.C. House of Lords, United Kingdom, Chair

Representative Gary Ackerman, House of Representatives, United States MK Colette Avital, Knesset, Israel

Senator Roger Bismouth, Senate, Tunisia

Representative Benjamin Cardin, House of Representatives, United States

Senator Norm Coleman, Senate, United States

MK Yuli Edelstein, Knesset, Israel

MP Matyas Erosi, Magyar Orszaggyules, Hungary

MP Alexander Feldman, Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine

MP Aida Faingezicht de Fishman, Parliament, Costa-Rica

Representative Barney Frank, House of Representatives, United States

Senator Jerry Grafstein, Senate, Canada

MP Tony Leon, National Assembly, South Africa

Representative Jerrold Nadler, House of Representatives, United States

MP Anita Neville, House of Commons, Canada

MP Rudy Salles, Assemble Nationale, France

MP Petter Shellisch, The State Duma, Russia

MK Yuri Shtern, Knesset, Israel

MK Avshalom Vilan, Knesset, Israel

Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz, House of Representatives, United States

Representative Henry Waxman, House of Representatives, United States

MEP Olga Zeiben, The European Parliament, Belgium