Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (, born 8 September 1953) is a Russian, British and Israeli businessman described as an oligarch, who serves as President of the

European Jewish Congress The European Jewish Congress (EJC) was founded in 1986. It is based in Brussels, with offices in Paris, Strasbourg, Berlin and Budapest. It is a representative body of democratically elected European Jewish communities throughout Europe. Overvie ...

(EJC), President of the

World Holocaust Forum The World Holocaust Forum is a series of events aimed at preserving the memory of the Holocaust. It is also known as the "Let My People Live!" Forum. The World Holocaust Forum Foundation was established in 2005 under the chairmanship of Viatchesla ...

Foundation (WHF) and Chairman of the European Jewish Fund (EJF). Since the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, he has been placed on various sanctions lists as a result of which he had temporarily stopped leading the EJC. In 2025, he was removed from the EU and Swiss sanctions list and was elected President of the European Jewish Congress for a fifth term.

Early life and education

Kantor was born and spent his early years in Moscow, and obtained a degree from the

Moscow Aviation Institute Moscow Aviation Institute () is an engineering research university in Moscow, Russia. It is designated a National Research University. Since its inception the institute has been spearheading advances in aerospace technology both within Russia a ...

(MAI) in 1976 and did research for MAI and NPO Spektr. In 1981, he completed his PhD in Spacecraft Automatic Control Systems. He worked as a scientist and headed one of MAI research laboratories.

Career

In 1989–1993, Kantor was Director General of Intelmas, a telecoms company. In 1996–2000 he was an economic adviser to the Chairman of the

Federation Council The Federation Council, unofficially Senate, is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, with the lower house being the State Duma. It was established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993. Each of the 89 federal s ...

of the Russian Federal Assembly. Kantor directly or through trusted persons controls the Acron Group, one of the leading mineral fertilizer producers and distributors in the world. In 2021, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' estimated Kantor's net worth at US$7.6 billion. Kantor has close ties to the

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

regime in Russia. In 2014 he allocated at least two million dollars in aid to the voluntary Jewish battalion Matilan, formed to fight the separatists of Donbas backed by the Putin regime. Kantor was sanctioned by association by the British government in March 2022 in the wake of the

. Consequently

University College School University College School, also known as UCS, is a private day school in Frognal, Hampstead, London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views. ...

has decided to review the name of its sports pavilion which is named after Kantor. On 8 April 2022 the European Union imposed sanctions against Viatcheslav Kantor, although on 14 March 2025, the Council of the European Union has deleted Kantor from the sanctions list. After that, Switzerland has also announced the de-listing of Kantor from its sanctions list since March 18, 2025.

Civic activities

Kantor served as President of the

in 2007-2022, and was re-elected President of the EJC for a fifth term in May 2025, during the EJC General Assembly in Jerusalem, gathering almost two-thirds of the vote of its delegates, representatives of the European national Jewish communities. The EJC, the largest secular organization representing the interests of European Jewry, is an influential, international public association representing 2.5 million Jews across the European continent in 42 national Jewish communities. In 2021, he was reelected Chairman of the Policy Council of the

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 ...

for the third time Kantor is a Vice President of the

Jewish Leadership Council The Jewish Leadership Council (previously known as the Jewish Community Leadership Council) is an organisation in the United Kingdom, founded in 2003, whose declared aim is to forward the interests of the organised Jewish community in Britain. T ...

. In 2010, he established the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University. In 2019,

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

nominated Moshe Kantor as Chancellor of the Council, and before it he served as its Member of Directorate since 2010. Kantor was President of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) in 2005–2009. He founded and headed the

(WHF) in 2005. He is a founder and chairman of the European Jewish Fund (EJF), established in 2006. He has chaired the

Foundation. In 2020, the World Holocaust Forum organized by Kantor came under controversy after Vladimir Putin was allowed to give a speech that distorted the history of the Soviet Union in World War II. The forum refused to allow Polish President

Andrzej Duda Andrzej Sebastian Duda (born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician who has served as the sixth president of Poland since 2015. Before becoming president, he served as a Member of the Sejm from 2011 to 2014 and before becoming Member of ...

to have a speaking slot. He is the founder and president of President of the

European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (also ''ECTR'') is a non-governmental organization that was established in Paris, France on 7 October 2008 to monitor tolerance in Europe. The chairman of the council is former British Prime ...

(ECTR). Kantor drafted and has repeatedly attempted to pass the ECTR's proposed European law known as the

Model National Statute for the Promotion of Tolerance The Model National Statute for the Promotion of Tolerance is a document prepared by a group of experts of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR), which regulates the legal relationship in the sphere of Toleration, tolerance. T ...

, one of the most sweeping

hate speech Hate speech is a term with varied meaning and has no single, consistent definition. It is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as ...

laws ever proposed in Europe. In 2007, Kantor founded and was elected president of the

International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe The International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe (also ''The Luxembourg Forum'') — is an international non-governmental organisation uniting leading world-renowned experts on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, materials a ...

, an international non-governmental organisation uniting leading world-renowned experts on

nuclear non-proliferation Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons to additional countries, particularly those not recognized as nuclear-weapon states by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the ''Non-Proliferation T ...

, materials and delivery vehicles. The Forum was established pursuant to a decision of the International Conference held in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

on 24–25 May 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 Rosatom (commonly referred to as Rosatom rus, Росатом, p=rosˈatəm}), also known as Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, (), or Rosatom State Corporation, is a Russian State corporation (Russia), sta ...

State Atomic Energy Corporation,

Mohamed ElBaradei Mohamed Mostafa ElBaradei (, ; born 17 June 1942) is an Egyptian law scholar and diplomat who served as the vice president of Egypt on an interim basis from 14 July 2013 until his resignation on 14 August 2013. He was the Director General of ...

, Director General of the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology, nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was ...

(IAEA), Nikolay Laverov, Academician and Vice President of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

(RAS),

William Perry William Perry may refer to: Business * William H. Perry (businessman) (1832–1906), American businessman and entrepreneur * William Perry (Queensland businessman) (1835–1891), businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia Politics an ...

, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense, and

Hans Blix Hans Martin Blix (; born 28 June 1928) is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Blix wa ...

, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission and former Director General of the IAEA.

Personal life

Kantor is married to Anna Kantor and has four sons and a daughter. Kantor is a citizen of Russia, the United Kingdom and Israel. Kantor bought a violin made by the Italian violin maker Riccardo Antoniazzi in 1912. The violin has been given as a First Prize of the 2nd International Violinists

Vladimir Spivakov Vladimir Teodorovich Spivakov (; born 12 September 1944) is a Soviet Union, Soviet and Russian conductor and violinist best known for his work with the Moscow Virtuosi chamber orchestra. Spivakov was born in Ufa. He was taught by Yuri Yankelevic ...

Contest. Its price was $140,000. Kantor was a trustee of the

Anna Freud Centre The Anna Freud Centre (formerly the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families) is a Child and adolescent psychiatry, child mental health research, training and treatment charity based in London, United Kingdom. The Centre aims to tra ...

(London, UK), but was removed from this position after the

Russian Invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. Kantor was previously a patron of

King Solomon High School King Solomon High School is a Modern Orthodox Jewish comprehensive school located in Barkingside, Greater London, England. It was opened in 1993 by its first headmaster, Mr Alastair Falk. In March 2007, it was announced that Spencer Lewis would ...

(London, UK). Kantor supported the development of the school which is a Jewish Comprehensive school based in Redbridge. Kantor has been a benefactor of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation since 2013, in which capacity he has facilitated various projects. Kantor was appointed Life Governor and Trustee of the

King Edward VII's Hospital King Edward VII's Hospital (formal name: King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes) is a private hospital located on Beaumont Street in the Marylebone district of central London. Agnes Keyser, later known as Sister Agnes, established the h ...

in London after his charitable foundation funded the redevelopment of the site adjacent to the hospital, Macintosh House, which was subsequently renamed the Kantor Medical Centre. Kantor is president of the Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery (MAGMA), founded in 2001 in Moscow on Kantor's initiative. In 2018, President of the

Russian Academy of Arts Russian Academy of Arts (RAA / rus. РАХ, Росси́йская акаде́мия худо́жеств) is the State scientific Institution of Russian Federation, eligible heir to the USSR Academy of Arts. A founder of RAA is the Governmen ...

and People's Artist of the URSS

Zurab Tsereteli Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli ( ka, ზურაბ კონსტანტინეს ძე წერეთელი, tr'';'' 4 January 1934 – 22 April 2025) was a Georgian painter, sculptor and architect known for large-scale and at ti ...

officially awarded Kantor as the President of MAGMA Museum with the robe and diploma of Honorary Member of the

Honors and awards

Kantor received the following government awards:

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts have been aimed at ...

(Russia, 1998), Officer's Cross of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

(Poland, 2005),

Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise () is a Ukrainian award. It is awarded for distinguished services to the state and people of the Ukrainian nation in the field of state building, strengthening the international prestige of Ukraine, develop ...

(Ukraine, 2006), Order of Leopold (Belgium, 2009), Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (France, 2012), Knight's Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

(Italy, 2013), Grand Cross with honours of the National Order of Merit (Romania, 2014), Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (France, 2014, presented in 2015), The Order of Honour (Russia, 2016), Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium, 2020) and Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria (Austria, 2021). He is an honorary citizen of Veliky Novgorod (1997) and Honorary Member of the

. In addition, he received an honorary doctorate from

Tel-Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

(2004) and the Medal of Merit "Deserved for Tolerance" by the Ecumenical Foundation Tolerance (2011). Kantor has been recognized for seven consecutive years as one of the '50 Most Influential Jews in the World'. In 1997, Viatcheslav Kantor was named Honorary Citizen of

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the ...

References

External links

Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (website)

European Jewish Congress

European Jewish Fund

Kantor Center on the Study of Contemporary European Jewry
*
National Institute of Corporate Reform
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kantor, Viatcheslav 1953 births Living people Museum founders Anti-racism activists Jewish anti-racism activists Russian Jews Russian billionaires Officers of the Legion of Honour Knights of the Legion of Honour Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise Officers of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Russian businesspeople in the United Kingdom Russian oligarchs Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions