| Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor | |
|---|---|
Palace of Nations, Geneva At the opening of the Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery Exhibition My Homeland is Within My Soul: Art Without Borders, June 11, 2009 |
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| Born | September 8, 1953 Moscow |
| Known for | Activist, businessman, philanthropist |
| Website | |
| http://www.moshekantor.com | |
Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (born September 8, 1953 in Moscow) is a prominent public figure, businessman and philanthropist who actively participates in the promotion of tolerance and reconciliation in the modern world. He is also engaged in discussing and elaborating ways to stop nuclear proliferation and prevent a nuclear catastrophe. Kantor is President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), Co-Chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, President of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, President of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation and Chairman of the European Jewish Fund (EJF). In 2011, Forbes estimated Kantor's worth at US$1.6 billions, making him 60th richest businessmen in Russia[1] and 782nd richest businessmen in a global Forbes rating.[2] His wealth, influential connections in governments, residence outside of Russia, and hobbies, such as his collections of paintings and horse stables are typical of other Russian oligarchs.[3]
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Kantor was born on September 8, 1953 in Moscow (Russia). In 1976, he graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) and did research for NPO Spektr at MAI. In 1981, the newspaper Pravda published an article written by Viatcheslav Kantor and Academician Zhores Alferov, entitled The Sun Shines at Night.[4]
1989-1993 – Director General of the Russian-American Intelmas Company. Under his leadership, one of the first computer networks was introduced and installed in Russia, including at divisions of the Academy of Sciences.
1993 – Headed Acron agrochemical company.
1996-2000 – Economic adviser to the Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia.
Since 2000 – President of the National Institute of Corporate Reform (NICR), a non-profit organisation uniting renowned politicians, business leaders and scholars. NICR’s activities are mainly aimed at improving the investment climate in Russia and enhancing the global image of Russian companies. The Institute provides effective support for the development of secondary sector companies focused on establishing an innovation economy in Russia.
2004 – Honorary Doctorate from Tel-Aviv University.[5] On May 10, 2010, the new Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry, namesake of EJC President and University's Hon.Dr. Moshe Kantor, was inaugurated in Tel Aviv University. TAU President Yossi Klafter officially presented University's Donor Certificate to Dr. Kantor and said that “the establishment of the Kantor Research Center on European Jewry is a constructive step towards reinforcing Jewish pride and identity.”[6]
2004 – His role in the first process against Mikhail Khodorkovsky prompted the lawyer of Khodorkovsky say that "Kantor is Khodorkovsky's main enemy" [7]
2005 – Chair of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation established after the first “Let My People Live!” World Forum, which was held in Krakow (Poland).
2005-2009 – President of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC).
Since 2006 – Key founder and Chairman of the European Jewish Fund (EJF), which focuses on promoting Jewish life throughout Europe and implementing charity and educational programmes aimed at promoting tolerance, supporting intercultural and interreligious links in Europe, and fighting against xenophobia and anti-Semitism.
June 2007 – President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), an international secular organisation uniting 42 national Jewish communities in Europe and representing the interests of over 3 million European Jews.[8]
2007 – President of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, which unites leading, globally recognised experts on nuclear non-proliferation.
2008 – Founder of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR), which he co-chairs today with former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski.
Kantor was awarded the following Russian and foreign orders and medals: Order of Friendship (Russia, 1998), Order of Merit (Poland, 2005), Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 5th Class (Ukraine, 2007),[9] and Order of Leopold (Belgium, 2009).[10]
He has 2 sons and a daughter.
According to Forbes magazine, in 2008 Kantor’s fortune was estimated at USD 2.9 billion, placing him 41st among the 100 richest individuals in Russia.[11]
In August 2010 Moshe Kantor has been nominated the Member of the Directorate of the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority "Yad Vashem" (official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust).
In 2011 The Jerusalem Post named Viatcheslav Kantor one of the most influential Jews of the world. In the list of 50 most significant Jews Kantor surpassed President of Israel Shimon Peres, mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat, head of the Anti-Defamation League Abraham Foxman, President of the American Jewish World Service Ruth Messinger, leader of the Labour Party (UK) Ed Milliband, US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel Natan Sharansky and other famous politicians and public figures. The rating was headed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.[12] Viatcheslav Kantor has also been included to the 2010 Jerusalem Post rating of the most influential Jews in the world[13]
On the occasion of the International Day for Tolerance, Viatcheslav Kantor was awarded the Medal “Deserved for Tolerance” by the Ecumenical Foundation Tolerance in Warsaw on the 16th of November 2011.[14] The Foundation was established in 1993 at the initiative of a group of intellectuals and social activists of different faiths and nationalities. Every year since 1998 which marks the establishment by UNESCO of the International Day for Tolerance, the Foundation awards Medals of Merit for Tolerance. This medal is awarded to politicians, clergy people, artists, scientists and leaders who have strived towards increased tolerance in our society. It is worth mentioning that the Ecumenical Foundation of Tolerance awarded in previous years the Medal of Merit for Tolerance to, among others, Aleksander Kwasniewski, former President of Poland and co-chairman of ECTR, President of Israel Shimon Perez, President of the USA Barack Obama, Simone Veil, Amos Oz and Bernard Kouchner.
Kantor’s activities include promoting tolerance in Europe, preventing nuclear catastrophe, elaborating proposals and taking measures to counteract xenophobia, extremism and anti-Semitism, facilitating the development of European Jewry, preserving memories of the Holocaust, and implementing charity and educational programmes.
Since June 2007, Kantor has been President of the European Jewish Congress, the largest secular organisation representing interests of the European Jewry.
Kantor calls himself “the main person on duty on the European Jewish street.”[15] The key tasks undertaken by the EJC today include supporting and developing Jewish life in Europe, fighting anti-Semitism, dealing with the issue of restitution of Jewish property confiscated during World War II, reinforcing the national identity of the Jewish people, counteracting assimilation, nurturing national pride and preserving the traditions of European Jewry, particularly among young people.
Kantor is particularly involved in Holocaust education. In order to preserve memories of the tragic events of the 20th century, he founded and chaired the World Holocaust Forum Foundation. The Foundation was founded following the first “Let My People Live!” World Forum held on January 27, 2005 in Krakow (Poland) to mark 60 years since the liberation of the German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Forum was attended by over 30 official delegations and heads of state, including President (now Prime Minister) of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Vice President of the United States of America Richard Cheney, President of the Republic of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the State of Israel Moshe Katsav, and President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko.[16] Kantor has also been credited with initiating the international 65th anniversary commemoration of the massacre at Babyn Yar, hosted by Yushchenko and attended by the presidents of Israel and some other states[17]
The second “Let My People Live!” World Forum to commemorate 65 years since the Babi Yar tragedy was held in Kiev (Ukraine) on September 27, 2006. It was attended by over 60 official delegations.[18]
The third “Let My People Live!” World Forum to mark the day 65 years ago when the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp was held in Krakow, Poland on January 27, 2010. The Forum was attended by a group of 100 European Parliament deputies headed by Jerzy Buzek, representatives of other European institutions and official delegations from around the world. Ivan Martynushkin and Yakov Vinnichenko, both World War II veterans and liberators of Auschwitz-Birkenau, were among the Forum’s honorary guests.[19]
U.S. President Barack Obama[20] and President of France Nicolas Sarkozy[21] sent their messages to the Forum. Both leaders’ addresses called for the world community to always remember the tragedies of the past and suggested that memory should factor into policy.
The World Holocaust Forum Declarations were adopted at the end of the first and the second Forums and call for preserving memories about the tragic events of World War II, passing on Holocaust knowledge to future generations and promoting the ideals of tolerance and reconciliation in Europe and around the world.[22][23]
In 2006, Kantor founded and headed the European Jewish Fund. The EJF is a non-governmental organisation whose first and foremost task is to reinforce the national identity of European Jewry and implement charity and educational programmes in Europe aimed at developing Jewish life on the continent. The Fund supports a number of projects and holds seminars and conferences on urgent issues attended by prominent experts and young people.
In December 2009, he protested against the Roman Curia's decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Pope Pius XII, asserting that it was a major slap in the face of the memory of the Holocaust.[24]
In 2007, Kantor founded and was elected President of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, which was established pursuant to the decision of the International Conference held in Luxembourg on May 24–25, 2007. The conference was attended by over 50 world-renowned experts from 14 countries, including Sergey Kirienko, Director General of the Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation; Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Nikolay Laverov, Academician and Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS); William Perry, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense; and Hans Blix, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission and former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.[25]
The Luxembourg Forum’s activities are aimed at discussing nuclear security and non-proliferation issues, as well as elaborating proposals and recommendations to politicians and diplomats regarding the reinforcement of nuclear security. The Forum works to prevent trivialisation of the nuclear threat in the modern world and aims to provide trustworthy information on the current situation in states and regions of concern (the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula and South Asia).[26]
Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor is actively engaged in promoting tolerance in Europe. In October 2008, he initiated the establishment of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation. Former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski chairs the Council, and Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor was named co-chair of the Council. The key task of the Council is to monitor tolerance in Europe and prepare initiatives and recommendations to reinforce interreligious and interethnic relations.
In 2007, Kantor came forward with an initiative to give tolerance lessons to teach students the basics of tolerance and non-violence in society. Education officials were receptive to the idea, and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov announced that the programme would be implemented on September 1, 2009.[27]
On November 9–16, 2008, a series of events was held as part of the international initiative called “European Week of Tolerance.” ECTR initiated the events to mark the International Day for Tolerance and the 70th anniversary of die Kristallnacht. Many prominent European politicians and influential political and public organisations participated in the European Week of Tolerance, events for which were held in Brussels, Prague and Kaliningrad. The European Week of Tolerance was organised by the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, the European Jewish Congress, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Russian Jewish Congress, the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, and Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority.[28]
As an important outcome of the events, the ECTR presented the European Parliament with the European Framework Convention on Promoting Tolerance and Combating Intolerance and a concept for a White Paper on Tolerance, both of which have great significance for promoting tolerance in Europe.
The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation established the European tolerance award. The purpose of the award is to honour the extraordinary creative achievements of outstanding public figures who promote tolerance and reconciliation in Europe and fight xenophobia, extremism and anti-Semitism. The first Medal of Tolerance was awarded to His Majesty Juan Carlos I of Spain.[29]
The third “Let My People Live!” World Forum took its place in Cracovia, Poland, in January, 2010. This event also promoted tolerance and reconciliation all over the world. Through preserving memories of the tragic events of the past, the Forum has demonstrated the importance of keeping the 20th century’s catastrophe from being repeated in the future and of counteracting new global threats, among them the threat of terrorism.
Viatcheslav Kantor as the co-chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation was one of the initiators of the international conference “Towards Reconciliation. Experiences, Techniques and Opportunities for Europe” held on October 24–25, 2010, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The gathering brought together current and former heads of European nations to collect European experience in reconciliation, and offer them to the Balkan nations.
On October 25, 2011 the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR) held a round table meeting in Moscow. Russian and international experts discussed issues of paramount importance connected with the current status, aspects and promotion of tolerance in Europe and in Russia. The experts also touched on such topics as the boundaries of tolerance, nuclear tolerance and secure tolerance in order to prevent a clash of civilisations. The round table meeting was attended by Viatcheslav Kantor, ECTR Co-Chairman; Alexander Dynkin, Director at IMEMO of the Russian Academy of Sciences and fellow of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Mikhail Margelov, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of Russia; Leonid Slutsky, Senior Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma; Yoram Dinstein, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Tel Aviv University and other experts.
In 2011 Viatcheslav Kantor published the Manifesto on Secure Tolerance[30] written by him. The project describes the concepts of global security and tolerance. The Manifesto has been published in seven languages, including English, Russian, French, Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew and Arabic.
In 2001, the Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery (MAGMA) was created on Kantor’s initiative and under his leadership. The Museum collection contains several hundreds of artworks, including paintings by famous Russian artists of Jewish origin, photographs and masterpieces of sculpture and graphic design. The collection is continually renewed.
The MAGMA collection is unique and of great value for Russia and for the whole world. In particular, the Museum has the world’s largest collection of works by Chaim Soutine.
The idea of a tolerant society is the main concept of the Museum. Kantor, who is the museum’s main ideologist, says “The Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery and its collection are the most effective and universal means of fighting against xenophobia and promoting tolerance”.[31]
In summer 2009, MAGMA’s first exhibition called “My Homeland is within my Soul: Art without Borders” was held in the Palace of Nations in Geneva (Switzerland), the citadel of diplomacy, security and tolerance, which has housed two major international organisations – the League of Nations and the UN European Office. There are plans on making the exhibition a travelling event and displaying the Museum’s collection in large cities around the world.[32]
After graduating from the Moscow Aviation Institute, Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor was actively engaged in spacecraft design research. His academic research was used to develop a reflector satellite used to illuminate the planet’s surface with reflected sunlight and solve a number of practical scientific tasks.
The logical continuation of the project was the implementation of a complex experimental project which resulted in deploying two reflector satellites into Earth orbit. Work continued in this direction until the late 1990s. Russian and foreign experts have confirmed that the satellite was both scientifically and economically promising.
In 2000, Kantor became President of the National Institute of Corporate Reform (NICR), whose activities support Russian corporations and facilitate the promotion of Russian enterprises on the international commodity and stock markets. NICR unites renowned politicians, business leaders and scholars.
After graduate school Kantor became a head of one of the many Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI)'s labs. According to Kompromat.Ru, in 1986 it was uncovered that the lab was selling classified materials abroad. Kantor was fired from the institute and started his career as a businessman.[33]
Vyacheslav Kantor founded joint Soviet-US venture "Intelmas" (Intelligent Materials and Systems).[34] Soon the company bought a protected by the state historic Moscow building that belonged to the family of Kireevskie-Karpovy on Ordynka street. After a reconstruction the building housed a part of the head office of Kantor's holding Acron as well as the National Institute of Corporate Reforms, also founded by Kantor.[35]
2. European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation
3. International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe
6. Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery
1. Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (website)
3. International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe