ENGLISH CORNER, CON LINDA JIMÉNEZ – This week’s trivia question:  How has NCSEJ worked with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OCSE)?

NCSEJ was originally founded in 1971 as National Conference for Soviet Jewry (NCSJ), representing a broad-based coalition of Jewish organizations and agencies. It quickly became the organized American Jewish community’s voice in support of Jews and Jewish concerns in the former Soviet Union.​

After the dissolution of the USSR, Jewish communities were being created and expanded throughout the region and NCSEJ’s primary focus changed to protecting and promoting the interests of more than 20 national Jewish Communities in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

As Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of NCSEJ since 1992, Mark Levin is one of the organized Jewish community’s leading experts on national and international political and legislative issues.

Mr. Levin has served several times as a Public Member of the U.S. Delegation to meetings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and he has represented NCSEJ at many other OSCE meetings.

Mr. Levin is a leader in the organized Jewish community’s effort to provide financial and technical assistance to the former Soviet Union and has traveled extensively, representing NCSEJ and the Soviet Jewry advocacy movement.

Mr. Levin spoke with us about NCSEJ and the work they are doing to support Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.