JERUSALEM (EJP)---Jewish leaders from around the world will attend on Wednesday a meeting of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Governing Board in Ashkelon, Israel.

Around 130 delegates and observers from the WJC affiliated Jewish communities around the world and international Jewish organizations will hear keynote speeches from WJC President Ronald S. Lauder, governing Board Chairman Matthew Bronfman and other senior WJC officers.

The place of the meeting is seen as a show of solidarity with the people living in southern Israel under threat from missile attacks from the Gaza Strip.  

According to the WJC, issues to be discussed include strategies to combat the threat posed by Iran and its nuclear programme, the delegitimization of Israel, as well as 'The Next Generation and the World Jewish Congress.'

Delegates will also decide on a number of administrative and policy matters, including the timing of the next WJC plenary assembly.

A briefing will be given by the Israeli army at a luncheon to which mayors of towns in the Ashkelon region and representatives of kibbutzim and moshavim have been invited.

The World Jewish Congress is an international organization representing Jewish communities in over 80 countries around the world.

It serves as the diplomatic arm of the Jewish people to governments and international organizations.