Moshe Kantor on Wednesday was elected for a fifth term as European Jewish Congress president despite various asset and travel sanctions against him.
Kantor, a Russian-Israeli-British billionaire businessman with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, previously served as EJC president from 2007 until 2022, when he was replaced by interim president Ariel Muzicant, who opposed him in this election.
Kantor took two-thirds of the vote at the EJC General Assembly in Jerusalem on Wednesday. The EJC represents 42 national Jewish communities across Europe, 40 of which were present at the meeting.
In his election speech, Kantor spoke of his commitment to fighting antisemitism in the wake of October 7.
“After October 7, every Jew in Europe knows that his or her destiny is absolutely tied to the destiny of the Jewish state. We feel it daily in our communities, and our enemies know it too,” he said.
“What we are witnessing is not only a threat to Jewish communities, it is a threat to the very foundations of European democracies,” Kantor continued. “If left unchecked, this growing hatred will erode the social fabric of our societies. We are already seeing increased polarisations as the extremes gain strength and moderation is pushed aside.”
“I am deeply humbled by the support of friends who have been with me in difficult times and I look forward to working with them and all our communities for the benefit of all European Jews,” he said.
Sanctions on Kantor
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kantor was sanctioned by the UK, EU, and Switzerland.
The EU removed the sanctions on Kantor on March 14, 2025, and Switzerland followed suit on March 18. However, Kantor remains under restrictions in the UK.
The UK government website refers to Kantor as the chairman of the Coordinating Board of Acron, a Russian chemical, mineral, and fertilizer producer, which does business in a sector of strategic significance to the Russian government.
It adds that Kantor benefits from supporting Moscow, “whose actions are destabilizing Ukraine or undermining... or threatening the territorial integrity.”
In addition to the asset freeze and sanctions imposed in 2022, the UK added a director disqualification sanction on April 9, 2025, meaning that Kantor is banned from being a director of a UK company or a director of a foreign company that has sufficient connection to the UK, even if it is not registered there.
At the time of the first imposition of sanctions, the World Jewish Congress released a statement saying, “No one whose name is included on any list of sanctioned individuals by the European Union, the United Kingdom, or the United States in relation to the conflict in Ukraine can hold any position or play any role in the World Jewish Congress.”
The European Jewish Congress, however, said it was “deeply shocked and appalled by the decision today of the British government to sanction Dr. Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, and the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation. The decision is misguided and lacks any factual or evidence-based merit.”
According to The Sunday Times’ “Rich List” published last week, Kantor is the 24th richest person in the UK, despite living in Israel since the sanctions were imposed. He is worth an estimated £7.661 billion.