Does a Male-Dominated Entity Represent the Jewish People? The Claims Conference and Advocacy for a Community

Abstract

The Claims Conference is one of the richest non-governmental institutions in the Jewish world. It negotiates the payment of reparations by Germany to Holocaust survivors and distributes funds to individuals and associations. This article applies gender as a category of analysis to an entity that purportedly represents an entire community. What does its patriarchic nature tell us about Jewish leadership? Moreover, why did women's organizations refrain from protesting against their exclusion. The case-study indicates the traditional nature of Jewish leadership and the continuing weakness of excluded sectors reluctant to confront self-appointed and non-representative communal leaders.