A brief History of the Chamber (CCIIF)

The Israel-France Chamber of Commerce is a well-established institution that has always been able to adapt to changing circumstances and respond to the needs of its members. It was founded in 1957 by Emmanuel Racine who became its first chairman. After joining the International Chamber of Commerce (CCI) in Paris, Israel-France Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s name officially became CCIIF.

The Founder : Emmanuel Racine

It is the almost classic story of a great Jewish Resistance fighter, a great Zionist, a visionary entrepreneur, and a true friend of the French community in Israel, whose destiny was intimately linked to the history of the 20th century. Immediately after the war, Emmanuel Racine had a brilliant career in the oil industry in France. At the same time, he dedicated himself to the young Jewish state that had just been created. In 1951, he decided to make his Aliyah and founded the first oil company in Israel, DELEK, where he served as president for 25 years. He also created the Israel Institute of Petroleum and Energy.

Emmanuel Racine understood the importance of strengthening the ties between France and Israel, not only economically but also scientifically, socially, and culturally. He represented the French community in Israel at the “Conseil Supérieur des Français de l'Étranger” under the label “Union des Français d’Israël”, which later became UFE-Israel. Giving greatest attention to economic relations, and taking advantage of the influx of new French companies in Israel to develop business exchanges between France and Israel, and to promote French investments in Israel, he founded the Israel-France Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Maison de France at the University of Jerusalem.

First Collaborations and Partnerships

Racine successfully brought together key figures from both the French and Israeli communities. He surrounded himself not only with French nationals who were active in the economic life of Israel, but also with prominent Israeli importers such as David Lubinski. Among those he united were former members of the French Resistance like Maurice Bernsohn and Eytan Ginat, who were also deeply involved in Israel's economy.

Bernsohn served as Secretary General of the France-Israel Chamber of Commerce and later became a counselor at the French Embassy in Tel Aviv. Eytan Ginat was a well-known industrial (CEO of Shamtam), like David Lubinski (Peugeot importer), Arieh Carasso (Renault importer), and others such as Spector, forming a strong network that strengthened the economic ties between France and Israel. From the very beginning Discount Bank and Leumi Bank were also among the members.

Racine also initiated a network of cooperation still working with Israeli Ministries (Industry, Tourism…), the Tel Aviv Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI), as well as with the Economic Department of the French Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Economic Department of the Israeli Embassy in Paris, and of course the France-Israel Chamber of Commerce in Paris (CCFI), whose chairman was at thee time Edmond de Rothschild.

The succeeding Chairpersons

After Emmanuel Racine, the chairpersons of CCIIF were:

- David Lubinski : President of David Lubinski Group

- Jacques Baranes : Advocate, Director of International Affairs at Banque Discount, who significantly contributed to the development of the CCIIF. He also played a crucial role in the development in France of the CCFI (with Lionel Stoleru and Roger Cukierman). Thanks to his commitment, many forums, conferences & meetings were organized, strengthening the economic and commercial relations between the two countries. He was also responsible for organizing numerous Israeli delegations to France and French delegations to Israel, thus fostering cooperation. Thanks to him, the number of members increased significantly, with companies such as IAI, Agrexco, Ormat and L'Oréal (headed by Gad Propper) joining the Chamber. The Import/Export Award of CCIIF was also created, recognizing companies that distinguished themselves through their commercial exchanges between Israel and France. Last, the Chamber developed an important relationship with the Association of Binational Chambers of Commerce.

- Georges Reisman: He was the head of BNP’s representation in Israel, and focused on sustainable development in the field of industrial investments and on strengthening the relationship with the Bank of Israel.

- Isaac Manor: President of the French car importer David Lubinski group (11% of overall French imports in 2005), he was also partner and member of the board of directors of the IDB conglomerate, and a co-owner of Bank Igud.

- Sami Sagol: He was an Industrialist, President of Keter Plastic. His tenure was marked by prestigious receptions, by the development of industrial exchanges between France and Israel, and by increased French investments in Israel and Israeli investments in France. - Ms. Ruth Shitrit: President of Shitrit Media Group advertising agency, she was deeply involved in the retail distribution sector. Her tenure was marked by the Chamber’s growth in the field of large-scale retail and distribution.

- Alfred Akirov (2010-2012) is a businessman and the founder of the Alrov Group (real estate). His tenure was marked by investments in the real estate sector.

- Dr Daniel Rouach (2012-2024) is Professor of Marketing at ESCP / Founder of IsraelValley newsletter website. His years at the Chamber were marked by university partnerships, technology transfers, and economic intelligence initiatives. He created "Meet the Leader" conferences and organized major Israeli technological events. He also opened the path for high-tech cooperation between France and Israel, and played a key role in advancing the Chamber’s development in the field of cutting-edge technologies. Under his leadership, numerous conferences were organized across various sectors such as fintech, high-tech, and foodtech. During his presidency, Amos Ron was chairman of the Board. - Julien Roitman is the current executive chairman. He graduated as an engineer from Supélec and has been knighted in the Légion d'Honneur. After holding a general manager position at IBM, he served as the chairman of the Engineers and Scientists of France (IESF) and also chaired the Cyber Commission of Union IHEDN.