Report: Edgar Bronfman Sr. Steps Down from Post at World Jewish Congress

Following months of turmoil, Seagram’s heir Edgar Bronfman Sr. has stepped down as president of the World Jewish Congress, a post he occupied for nearly 30 years, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports.

In March, following a prolonged investigation into the organization’s activities by the New York State Attorney General’s office, Mr. Bronfman fired his longtime friend and deputy Israel Singer. He has since come under fire for his attempts to engineer a handover of his position to his son, Matthew.

As the Observer reported earlier, that effort was coordinated by Mr. Bronfman’s longtime deputy Stephen Herbits, a former aide to Donald Rumsfeld, but the campaign ran into complications this week with the publication of an inflammatory strategy memo that disparaged other members of the organization in racial terms.

Matthew Bronfman’s rivals for the presidency include South African steel magnate Mendel Kaplan and cosmetics billionaire Ronald Lauder.