Editing World Jewish Congress (section)

==Restitution of Jewish assets==
Since the end of World War II, the WJC has pressed governments and private enterprises to return seized or looted Jewish assets to their rightful owners. It was instrumental in concluding agreements with a number of European countries.

''See above:'' [[#Restitution of Holocaust-era assets and compensation payments|Restitution of Holocaust-era assets and compensation payments]]

In its policy guidelines the WJC states that negotiations on Holocaust-era assets are "conducted in the framework of the World Jewish Restitution Organization in coordination with the Israeli government and with the support of the US government and the European Union."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/holocaust.html|title=WJC and the Holocaust|access-date=2012-07-02}}</ref>
The organization emphasizes that "the distribution of any compensation monies should not be handled by the WJC. The WJC does not seek any form of commission or gratification payments from Holocaust-era compensation or restitution agreements." WJC leaders have in particular urged the Polish government to come up with a restitution law for looted private properties, but Warsaw in March 2011 announced that this was impossible due to the current economic situation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4042812,00.html
| title = Poland slammed for halting restitution plans – YNet| newspaper = Ynetnews|date=2011-03-16|access-date=2012-07-02| last1 = Ap| first1 = Ynetnews and}}</ref>

=== Fighting Holocaust denial, revisionism and glorification of the Nazis ===
On repeated occasions, the WJC has urged countries to ensure that Holocaust denial is publicly condemned and fought. WJC officials have been critical of a rise of marches in a number of European countries including Hungary and Serbia by WWII Nazi veterans, far-right extremists and neo-Nazis who publicly glorify the Hitler regime and espouse anti-Semitic ideology.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ejpress.org/article/20367|title=Serbian police ban neo-Nazi group planned rally – European Jewish Press|date=2007-09-27|access-date=2012-07-02|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130112200558/http://www.ejpress.org/article/20367|archive-date=2013-01-12|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.budapesttimes.hu/2007/12/03/world-jewish-congress-asks-pm-to-rein-in-the-far-right/|title=World Jewish Congress asks PM to rein in the far right – Budapest Times|date=2007-12-03|access-date=2012-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602154248/http://www.budapesttimes.hu/2007/12/03/world-jewish-congress-asks-pm-to-rein-in-the-far-right/|archive-date=2013-06-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Bernie Ecclestone 2012 Bahrain.jpg|thumb|[[Bernie Ecclestone]]]]
In July 2009, [[Bernie Ecclestone]] faced calls from WJC President [[Ronald S. Lauder]] to resign as [[Formula One]] chief after he had praised [[Adolf Hitler]] in a newspaper interview and said that Hitler "got things done." Lauder said someone with Ecclestone's views should not be allowed to run such an important and popular racing series. He urged Formula One teams, drivers and host countries to suspend their cooperation with him. In reaction, Ecclestone told the news agency Associated Press that "I think the people who are saying that haven't got the power to say these things." Asked if the WJC was influential, Ecclestone said: "It's a pity they didn't sort the banks out" and "They have a lot of influence everywhere." After a public outcry, Ecclestone apologized for his remarks and said he had "been an idiot."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nascar/story/11923197|title=F1 boss Ecclestone faces criticism over Hitler comments – CBSSports.com|date=2009-07-04|access-date=2012-07-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sports/jews-call-on-bernie-ecclestone-to-resign-over-hitler-remarks_100214406.html|title=Jews call on Bernie Ecclestone to resign over Hitler remarks – ThaiIndian.com|date=2009-07-06|access-date=2012-07-02|archive-date=2014-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512215423/http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sports/jews-call-on-bernie-ecclestone-to-resign-over-hitler-remarks_100214406.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/racing/racing/f1/news/story?id=4308574 |title=Ecclestone: Outrage 'probably my fault' – Associated Press|date=2009-07-06|access-date=2012-07-02}}</ref>

The WJC also criticized the US internet retailer Amazon.com for selling 'I love Hitler' T-shirts and similar merchandise praising senior Nazi officials. The items were later removed from the website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.internetretailer.com/2008/04/25/amazon-removes-i-love-hitler-t-shirts-following-protests |title=Amazon removes 'I love Hitler' T-shirts following protests – Internet Retailer|date=2008-04-25|access-date=2012-07-02}}</ref>

In February 2012, the WJC attacked the German Federal Constitutional Court for a ruling which acquitted a Holocaust denier. WJC Vice-president [[Charlotte Knobloch]] called the verdict "quirky" and said that it cast a damning light on the legal proceedings. She accused the highest German court of disposing of Germany's law that makes the denial of the Shoah a crime "through the backdoor".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jspace.com/news/articles/german-courts-find-holocaust-deniers-innocent-in-two-cases/7675|title=German Courts Find Holocaust Deniers Innocent in Two Cases – JSpace, 23 February 2012|access-date=2012-07-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206042227/http://www.jspace.com/news/articles/german-courts-find-holocaust-deniers-innocent-in-two-cases/7675|archive-date=2013-12-06|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Following an interview with Iranian President [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] on German public television in which he repeatedly called Israel "an artificial state" that had been built on the "lie of the Holocaust", Knobloch called on the German government to publicly condemn the Iranian leader's statements and to isolate Iran diplomatically.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/11506/following_ahmadinejad_s_latest_holocaust_denial_wjc_urges_germany_to_scale_back_iran_relations|title=Following Ahmadinejad's latest Holocaust denial, WJC urges Germany to scale back Iran relations|first=World Jewish|last=Congress}}</ref>

Standing alone amongst all major Jewish organizations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forward.com/news/361599/on-holocaust-statement-trump-ally-ron-lauder-stands-alone/|title=On Holocaust Statement, Trump Ally Ron Lauder Stands Alone|date=30 January 2017 }}</ref> World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder backed Donald Trump's decision to omit any mention of Jews in his 2017 Holocaust commemoration statement. Lauder contended that other Jewish groups were "play[ing] politics" and engaging in "manufactured outrages" that distracted from "real" instances of anti-Semitic threats.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/lauder-criticizes-adls-negative-reaction-to-trump-statement-on-holocaust-remembrance-day-1-6-2017|title=Lauder criticizes ADL reaction to Trump statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day|first=World Jewish|last=Congress}}</ref> The WJC also publicly backed [[David M. Friedman]] as President Trump's nominee for ambassador to Israel,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/wjc-president-lauder-expresses-confidence-in-choice-of-david-friedman-as-ambassador-to-israel-12-2-2016|title=WJC President Lauder expresses confidence in choice of David Friedman as ambassador to Israel|first=World Jewish|last=Congress}}</ref> in spite of critics who accused Friedman of trivializing the gravity of the Holocaust by comparing Jewish members of the liberal pro-Israel group [[J Street (advocacy group)|J Street]] to "kapos", or Nazi collaborators.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.759473|title=The Grotesque anti-Semitic Turn of David Friedman, Trump's Pick for Israel Ambassador|first=David|last=Schraub|date=18 December 2016|newspaper=Haaretz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://forward.com/opinion/360913/smearing-fellow-jews-as-kapos-disqualifies-david-friedman-from-representing/|title=Smearing Fellow Jews as 'Kapos' Disqualifies David Friedman from Representing America|date=24 January 2017 }}</ref>