1. Isi Leibler served as president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and Chairman of the Governing Board of the World Jewish Congress.
19 Facts About Isi Leibler
1. 2.
Isi Leibler was a leader in the global campaign on behalf of Soviet Jewry and played a role in the lead-up to Israeli diplomatic relations between India and China.
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Isi Leibler wrote weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post, the Hebrew daily Israel Hayom, and on his blog Candidly Speaking from Jerusalem.
4.
Isi Leibler married Naomi Porush in 1958, and the couple had three sons and a daughter.
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In 1962, Mr Isi Leibler engineered a public campaign which resulted in Australia becoming the first country in the world to raise the plight of Soviet Jewry at the United Nations.
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When Mikhail Gorbachev liberalised the system, Isi Leibler became the first international Jewish leader to be invited to the Soviet Union to evaluate the changes.
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Isi Leibler met with Indian Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen ahead of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and both countries.
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Isi Leibler convened a colloquium for leading Jewish and Chinese scholars in Beijing prior to diplomatic relations being instituted between Israel and China.
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Isi Leibler occupied senior roles in the World Jewish Congress, an umbrella organisation representing global Jewry, including Chairman of the Governing Board and Senior Vice President.
10.
In 2004, Isi Leibler confronted the leadership of the WJC over the issue of governance, financial transparency, and financial irregularities.
11.
Isi Leibler's calls for a comprehensive independent audit" brought him into conflict with Singer and Edgar Bronfman, the WJC's longtime "president, chief benefactor, and guiding force.
12.
Isi Leibler wrote that his position had been "vindicated" but expressed "deep sadness" at the organization's disarray.
13.
Isi Leibler was accused of de-legitimizing liberal Jewish supporters of Israel.
14.
In 2021, a biography on Isi Leibler revealed that he had been operating in Australia as an Israeli intelligence asset from 1959.
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Isi Leibler was a regular columnist for Israel Hayom, the Israeli daily newspaper.
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Isi Leibler wrote on the dangers of religious extremism, in particular radical religious nationalism.
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Isi Leibler chaired the Israel Diaspora Committee of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, an Israeli think tank.
18.
Isi Leibler was a director of one of Australia's three national television companies.
19.
Isi Leibler was appointed a CBE in 1977, an AO in 1989 and an honorary Doctor of Letters from Deakin University in 1990.