Alfred Donath (May 23, 1932 in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

– June 28, 2010 in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

pediatrician and nuclear medicine specialist known for his tenure as president of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities. from 2000 to 2008 and vice president of the EJC from 2007 to 2008. During his tenure as president of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities, he attempted to have the ban on

shechita In Judaism, ''shechita'' (anglicized: ; ; ; also transliterated ''shehitah, shechitah, shehita'') is ritual slaughtering of certain mammals and birds for food according to ''kashrut''. One who practices this, a kosher butcher is called a ''sho ...

(Jewish ritual slaughter) in Switzerland lifted, but refrained from these plans when signs of

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

intensifying as a result became apparent. He also played a leading role in the establishment of a Jewish community in Switzerland. Donath was the federation's vice president when Swiss banks in 1998 reached an out-of-court settlement to pay

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

victims and their heirs $1.25 billion. He was also President of the

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

Community in Geneva. He was also instrumental in exposing the

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress's main purpose is to act as ...

funds committed by

Israel Singer Israel Singer (born July 29, 1942 in New York City) is an American political scientist who was secretary general of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) from 1986 to 2001. Life Singer grew up in Brooklyn, the son of Austrian refugees. He teaches polit ...

. Donath passed away at the age of 78 on June 28, 2010. World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder praised Donath as one of the great figures of Swiss Jewry:

“Alfred Donath always fought hard to defend the Swiss community against all kinds of attacks. At the same time, Alfred Donath was always fair and sought to heal divisions and he leaves a great legacy, notably in the field of inter-faith dialogue, where he achieved good progress. A vice-president of the European Jewish Congress and a regular participants at WJC meetings, he also was a friend and defender of Israel, and he will be sorely missed by the WJC family.”

He left behind a widow, five children and ten grandchildren. He is buried in the Jewish cemetery of

Veyrier Veyrier () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, on the France–Switzerland border, French border. Geography Veyrier has an area, , of . Of this area, or 33.4% is used for agricultural purposes ...

near Geneva.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donath, Alfred 1932 births 2010 deaths 21st-century Swiss Jews Swiss pediatricians