A lawyer and former president of the Brussels bar, Yves Oschinsky has been elected President of CCOJB for a three-year term.

Yves Oschinsky, a lawyer and former president of the Brussels bar, has been elected as President of the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium (CCOJB) for a three-year term. He won the election by the General Assembly against the other candidate, Isabelle Ekierman.

He succeeds Yohan Benizri, also a lawyer, who was not eligible for reelection after his two successive terms at the head of the organization.

Ochinsky explained that he  wants to put his commitments and experience at the service of the community and to continue the fight against anti-Semitism, the culture of remembrance and support for the State of Israel. He has the intention to federate all the Jewish institutions in Belgium and to strengthen the links with the Jewish community. ‘’We are a small community, we must speak with the same voice, we must organize common actions,’’ he said.

The new Board of Directors will be elected on October 13th to complete the executive body of the CCOJB.

The CCOJB, which is a member of the European Jewish Congress, represents mainly Jewish organizations in Brussels and Wallonia while Jews in the Flemish region of Belgium are represented by the Antwerp-based Forum of Jewish Organizations.

Around 35,000 Jews live in Belgium.