Supporters line up behind Singer

Supporters are lining up behind Israel Singer in his quest to remain president of the Claims Conference. The support, in letters from Agudath Israel and prominent Holocaust survivors, comes after Singer was fired from the World Jewish Congress in March amid allegations of financial impropriety. Singer is the lead negotiator for the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which has secured billions in restitution payments for Holocaust survivors. The WJC will determine who it supports for the next Claims Conference president during a steering committee meeting on Monday, a WJC spokesman told JTA. That meeting is the first since Singer’s firing, which prompted outcries from WJC affiliates over the way it was handled. Members of the steering committee include the European Jewish Congress president, Pierre Besnainou, who was a vocal critic of Singer’s firing, and Shai Hermesh, the head of WJC in Israel, which also has been at odds with the New York office.The show of support for Singer came after the umbrella body of Australian Jewry expressed its opposition to Singer remaining as Claims Conference president. A vote for conference president is scheduled for July.