Organisation of the SIG

The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities SIG, to which 16 Jewish communities in Switzerland are affiliated, is a registered society («Verein») in accordance with Articles 60 et seqq. of the Swiss Civil Code (ZGB). The SIG Office is located in Zurich and is run by the General Secretary. The latter heads a staff of around twelve, organised by department: Administration, Education & Prevention, Communication, Culture, Politics & Analysis und Security.

Assembly of Delegates

The Assembly of Delegates (DV) is the SIG’s supreme body. It is made up of the delegates representing the individual member communities. Each community is entitled to a certain number of delegate votes in line with its number of members. The regular DV convenes once a year and has the competences specified in the ZGB and the SIG’s Articles of Association. The delegates decide in particular on the annual report, the annual accounts, the amount of the membership fee, the levying of extraordinary contributions, the election of members to the SIG’s organisational bodies, the admission and exclusion of member communities and changes to the Articles of Association. Moreover, the DV decides on motions put forward by the SIG’s bodies or members, and takes note of the budget.

Central Committee

The Central Committee (CC) represents the DV during the business year. The CC’s members are elected by the DV. Each member community is entitled to one seat on the CC. However, the larger a representative’s community is, the higher the vote weighting may be in his or her favour. The CC has a variety of tasks and competences, for example: advising the Board of Directors, monitoring the SIG’s operations, approving financial requests, and preparing votes and elections on behalf of the DV. Furthermore, the CC may put forward motions to the DV and refer binding assignments to the Board of Directors for assessment and reporting.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors (GL) is the SIG’s strategic management body. It consists of five to seven members, and its President is the President of the SIG. GL members are elected by the DV; the President is elected in a separate round of voting. The GL members each bear the strategic responsibility for one of the following portfolios: President’s office, Vice-President’s office, finance, youth & education, culture, religious affairs and social affairs. The GL has extensive competences, defines the SIG’s overall strategic goals and informs the CC accordingly.

General Secretary

The operational execution of the SIG’s activities is handled by the SIG Office. The General Secretary is the Head of the SIG Office and its staff. He or she is appointed by the GL. The General Secretary prepares the agendas of the GL, the CC and the DV, is responsible for implementing the GL’s decisions, and assumes representational tasks on behalf of the GL.

Internal auditing committee and external auditors

The «Geschäfts- und Rechnungsprüfungskommission GRPK» is the SIG’s internal auditing committee. In particular, it oversees the activities of the GL and submits associated reports to the CC for the attention of the DV. In addition, the DV elects an external auditor in accordance with the requirements of the Swiss Code of Obligations and the audit oversight act («Revisionsaufsichtsgesetz»).