Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor

Education

Kantor was born and spent his early years in Moscow, and obtained a degree from the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) in 1976 and did research for NPO Spektr at MAI. In 1981, he completed his PhD in Spacecraft Automatic Control Systems.

Business activity

Kantor heads the publicly traded Acron Group, one of the leading mineral fertilizer producers and distributors in the world. Today, Acron is a large group of companies producing over 40 chemical products with annual output exceeding 7.3 million tonnes.^[6] In 2017, Forbes estimated Kantor's net worth at US$3.1 billion, making him the 34th richest person in Russia^[1] and the 630th richest person in the world.^[7]

In 1989-1993 Kantor was Director General of the joint venture Intelmas (intellectual materials and systems). Under his leadership, one of the first computer networks was introduced and installed in Russia, including at branches of the Academy of Sciences.

In 1996-2000 he was an economic adviser to the Chairman of the Federation Council of the RF Federal Assembly.

In 1997, Viatcheslav Kantor was named Honorary Citizen of Veliky Novgorod for his major contribution to development and strengthening of economy, science and cultural heritage of the old city of Novgorod, and improvement of social and living conditions for its residents.^[8]

Since 2000 Kantor has served as President of the National Institute of Corporate Reform (NICR), a non-profit organization uniting top political leaders, business leaders and scholars. The NICR focuses on improving the investment climate in Russia and enhancing the global image of Russian companies.

Family

Kantor is married to Anna Kantor and has four sons and a daughter.

Jewish leadership

Kantor has been the president of the European Jewish Congress (EJC) since 2007, having been re-elected to the position in 2008 and again in 2012 and 2016. The EJC, the largest secular organization representing the interests of European Jewry, is an influential, international public association representing over 3 million Jews across the European continent in 42 national Jewish communities.

Kantor calls himself “the main person on duty on the European Jewish street.” The key tasks undertaken and resolved by the EJC today include supporting and developing Jewish life in Europe, fighting antisemitism, dealing with the issue of restitution of Jewish property confiscated during World War II, reinforcing the national identity of the Jewish people, promoting reconciliation, and preserving the traditions of European Jewry, particularly among young people.

In 2010 he established the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University.^[11]

He serves as Deputy Chairman of Yad Vashem^[12] and was recently reelected Chairman of the Policy Council of the World Jewish Congress for the second time^[13][14]

Kantor also served as President of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) in 2005-2009.

Holocaust remembrance forums

Kantor is particularly involved in Holocaust education. In order to preserve memories of the tragic events of the 20th century, he founded and headed the World Holocaust Forum (WHF) and the European Jewish Fund.

As Chair of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation Kantor initiated and organized the commemoration events in Krakow, on January 27, 2005, to mark 60 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The “Let My People Live!” World Forum was attended by more than 40 heads of states and official delegations, including President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Vice President of the United States of America Richard Cheney, President of the Republic of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski and other distinguished guests.

On September 27, 2006, the Second “Let My People Live!” World Forum to commemorate 65 years since the Babi Yar tragedy was held in Kiev. It was attended by over 60 official delegations.

The Third World Forum “Let My People Live!” took place on 27 January 2010 in Krakow and was dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Forum was attended by a group of about 100 deputies from the European Parliament, headed by its President Jerzy Buzek, as well as representatives of other European institutions and official delegations from around the world.

In 2013, the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz declared International Holocaust Remembrance Day an official annual event for the European Parliament starting in 2013.

On 26–27 January 2015, the Fourth International “Let My People Live!” Forum was held in Prague and Terezín (Czech Republic) to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. The event was attended by several hundred distinguished guests, including heads of state, political leaders, members of parliament, diplomats, scholars and public figures from many countries, Auschwitz-Birkenau liberators, former prisoners of the concentration camps and Holocaust survivors.

Tolerance and reconciliation

Kantor is actively engaged in promoting interfaith dialogue, tolerance and reconciliation in Europe. In 2008, he established the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR), which he co-chaired with the President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski. Today Kantor serves as the President of the ECTR, while ex-Prime Minister of Great Britain Tony Blair is the Chairman.^[15] The ECTR is a non-governmental organization composed of former heads of European states, Nobel Peace Prize laureates and other world-renowned individuals for their achievements in "promoting tolerance". The ECTR was established to fight xenophobia, extremism and anti-Semitism, develop practical initiatives for tolerance, and make recommendations for promoting mutual understanding between peoples.

In 2018 the ECTR has announced the establishment of the Kantor Prize for Secure Tolerance and ECTR Research Grants. The Prize will amount to one million Euro and will be awarded bi-annually. The first recipient is to be selected in 2020. Kantor Prize for Secure Tolerance will be awarded for original thinking and research on how the theory and practice of tolerance should be re-imagined to meet the new challenges of a globalized world and the highly diverse and sometimes fragmented societies it contains. The overall aim of the Grant programme is to foster new thinking on these and related issues by developing and applying the concept of a more secure form of tolerance. ECTR Grants may be held for up to 1 year. The maximum grant value will be 50,000 Euro.^[16]

Nuclear non-proliferation

In 2007, Kantor founded and was elected president of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, an international non-governmental organisation uniting leading world-renowned experts on nuclear non-proliferation,materials and delivery vehicles. The Forum was established pursuant to a decision of the International Conference held in Luxembourg on May 24–25, 2007. The conference was attended by over 50 renowned experts from 14 countries, including Sergey Kirienko, Director General of the Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Nikolay Laverov, Academician and Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), William Perry, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense, and Hans Blix, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission and former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Luxembourg Forum’s activities are aimed at discussing nuclear security and non-proliferation issues, as well as elaborating proposals and recommendations to political leaders and diplomats regarding the reinforcement of nuclear security. It works to prevent trivialization of the nuclear threat in the modern world and aims to provide trustworthy information on the current situation in states and regions of concern (the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula and South Asia).^[17]

Anna Freud Centre

Kantor is a trustee and Life President of the Anna Freud Centre (London, UK).^[18][19] He is actively supporting the organization in its groundbreaking work for children, young people and their families who are experiencing mental health issues.

Kantor King Solomon High School

Kantor is patron and Honorary Life President of Kantor King Solomon High School (London, UK).^[20] Kantor is actively supporting the development of the school which is a leading Jewish Comprehensive school based in Redbridge.^[21]

Royal Opera House in London, UK

Kantor is a member of the Board of Honorary Directors of Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation.^[22] Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in London.

Psychoneurological nursing home in Novgorod Region

In 2013, after hearing of the tragic fire at the Malovishersky psychoneurological nursing home in Novgorod region which killed 37 patients, Kantor launched an initiative to upgrade infrastructure and equipment at inpatient social institutions locally and across Russia. Kantor personally paid to rebuild the nursing home and a new residential center which opened its doors two years after the fire.^[23]

European Jewish Fund

Kantor is the key founder and chairman of the European Jewish Fund (EJF), which focuses on promoting Jewish life throughout Europe by supporting programmes to reinforce Jewish identity and Jewish pride, especially by re-connecting young people with their rich and vital Jewish heritage. It is a non-governmental organization whose main task is to develop the Jewish life in Europe, reinforce the national identity of European Jewry and implement charitable and educational programs aimed at developing Jewish life on the continent. The Fund is also engaged in promoting tolerance, supporting intercultural and interreligious ties in Europe, and fighting xenophobia and anti-Semitism. The Fund supports a number of projects and holds seminars and conferences on urgent issues attended by prominent experts and young people.

Yad Vashem

Over several years, Kantor has been a donor to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes’ Authority.^[24]

Art

Kantor serves as the president of the Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery (MAGMA),^[25] founded in 2001 in Moscow on Kantor’s initiative. The Museum contains the world’s largest and most important private collection of 20th Century Russian avant-garde art. The Russian art movement flourished from approximately 1890 to 1930 and included such artists as Valentin Serov, Marc Chagall, Chaim Soutine and Léon Bakst.

According to Kantor, the purpose of MAGMA is to “to bring back to Russia all the names that have been ‘appropriated’ by other countries. For many people it would probably be a revelation to find out that many famous artists that rose to prominence in Europe and America, whose works are the envy of any museum in the world, were in fact our compatriots. At the same time, people in other countries are surprised to discover that their ‘local heroes’ happen to be Jews, and originally from Russia: Chagall, Zadkine, Lipschitz, Delaunay. The elite of the School of Paris.”^[26]

In 2018, President of the Russian Academy of Arts and People’s Artist of the URSS Zurab Tsereteli officially awarded the robe and diploma of Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Arts to President of the Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery (MAGMA) Viatcheslav Kantor.^[27]

2nd International Violinists Vladimir Spivakov Contest

Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor has bought a violin mabe by famous Italian violin maker Riccardo Antoniazzi in 1912. The violin has been given as a First Prize of the 2nd International Violinists Vladimir Spivakov Contest. Its price was $140,000.^[28]