Moshe Kantor.. Russian billionaire head of the European Jewish Congress that Britain is chasing

Britain continues to impose more sanctions on Russian businessmen or what it calls Putin's "oligarch", in defiance of their closeness to President Vladimir Putin, and with the continuation of the war in Ukraine, new names are added to the British list of sanctions and embargoes.

Among the notable names affected by the British sanctions, there is Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor, who is considered one of the richest personalities in Russia, and also one of the most influential names in the Jewish community around the world.

Cantor is considered one of the prominent names of the Jewish community in Europe, but is one of the founding fathers of the Jewish Congress in this continent, which he currently chairs, which made him a great influence across the world.

Cantor cannot be described as an ordinary businessman, as he is an influential figure in Europe, with complex and influential relations to defend the interests of the Jewish community on the continent, and to advocate for Israel, and was ranked among the 50 most influential Jewish personalities in the world.

Childhood and work

September 8, 1953: Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor was born in Moscow, Russia.

1976: Received a master's degree from the Moscow Aviation Institute.

1981: Obtained a doctorate in automatic control systems for spacecraft.

1989: He held the position of General Manager of the Russian-American company "Intelmas" and continued in the position until 1993.

He was also the supervisor of the first information networks, especially in the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Between 1996 and 2000: he held the position of economic advisor to the President of the Russian Federal Council.

2000: Headed the National Institute for Corporate Reform, a non-profit organization that brings together Russian politicians, businessmen and scientists with the aim of improving the investment climate in Russia and improving the company's image abroad.

great fortune

Cantor started in the field of business and wealth in 1990 when he succeeded in winning a contract for environmental assessment for the company "AZOTE" for chemicals, which is one of the largest companies in the world in the production of chemicals.

1993: The privatization of the world-leading fertilizer company, ACRON, was announced, and Kantor purchased 31.36% of the shares of this company, which was the real reason for building his financial empire.

Forbes magazine says that his fortune is about 11.4 billion dollars, noting that it is the result of his work in the field of fertilizers, chemicals, and real estate, and this wealth makes him among the 25 richest businessmen in Russia and ranks 622th in the list of the world's richest people.

Moshe Kantor is considered one of the prominent names of the Jewish community in Europe (French)

Relationship with Putin

The Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, says that Kantor has strong ties with Putin, as he brought several foreign missions to meet the president, and in 2017, the latter awarded him the Medal of Honor in recognition of his "professional achievements and fair deeds for many years."

When the war broke out in Ukraine, the "Cantor Center", based at Tel Aviv University, issued a statement declaring that "this war is unjustified and cowardly war crimes are being committed at the direction of Putin."

Despite this angry statement, the British government considered in its statement that Akron, in which Cantor owns the largest share of its shares, is an essential and vital resource for the Russian government.

influence

2005: Kantor chaired the Foundation of the World Holocaust Remembrance Forum, after a conference held in Bologna under the slogan "Let my people live."

From 2005 to 2009: Presided over the Russian Jewish Congress.

2006: Became one of the founders of the "Jews of Europe" Foundation (FJE), which aims to defend the interests of the Jewish community in the old continent.

Among the most important positions that Cantor held was the presidency of the European Jewish Congress, which is the largest gathering of Jews in Europe and includes representatives of 42 Jewish bodies on this continent, and this Congress says that it defends the interests of 2.5 million Jews in Europe.

Since 2007: Cantor has been president of the European Jewish Congress, where he was re-elected in 2008, 2012 and 2016 for a term of 4 years.

2010: Founded the "Cantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Judaism" at Tel Aviv University, and is the funder of this center until now.

2013: Kantor was chosen to chair the Political Council of the World Jewish Congress, and was re-elected to the same position in 2017.

Cantor enjoys high-level relations, including his relationship with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and in 2015 he appointed the latter as president of the European Council for Tolerance and Reconciliation, an institution funded by Cantor.

Cantor holds British, Israeli and Russian citizenship.

As soon as the British Foreign Office announced the presence of Cantor among the names of the sanctioned, the European Jewish Congress issued a statement expressing its "shock" at this "unfounded decision".