Conference of European Rabbis FINAL

7/30/2019 Conference of European Rabbis FINAL

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The Lord Jakobovits Prize

for european jewry 2013

the conference of european rabbis

the Grand synaGoGue of europe

may 22 2013

This event i s sponsored by

Dr. Hubert Burda , Burda Medien

Mr Boris Mints, Bank Otkri tye

Yan Ab ra mo v, Ne w Tec hn ol og ie s

The Brussel s Jewish Community

CONFERENCE

OFEU

ROPEAN

RABB

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hbcr,shgu


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1

Programme of Events Programme of Events

Hashivenu

Returning The Torah Scrolls To The Holy Ark

Cantor Benjamin Mul ler and

Choir of the Grand Synagogue of Europe

Ad dr es s by Ra bb i Pi nc ha s Go ld sc hm id t

Chief Rabbi of Mosc ow President of the Conferenc e of European Rabbis

Reading of the text on the Lord Jakobovits Prize

Dr. Dieter Grauman, President of the Centra l Counc i l o f the

Jewish Community of Germany

Lord Jakobovits Prize for European Jewry

Presented to Chanc el lor Angela Merkel by Chief Rabbi P inc has

Goldsc hmidt and Mr Boris Mints, Chairman of the Board of Patrons

of the CER

Ad dr es s by Ch an ce ll or An ge la Me rk el

Chanc el lor of the Federa l Republ ic of G ermany

European Anthem

Ludwig van Beethoven

Organ and Choir of the Grand Synagogue of Europe

Conc lusion of the Ceremony

Guests are kindly asked to remain seated unti l a l l o f f ic ia l s have l eft

Psalm 24:7

(arranged by Samuel Naumbourg)

Choir of the Grand Synagogue of Europe

Opening Words by Mr Phi l ippe Markiewic z

President of the Jewish Community of Brussel s

Grand Synagogue of Europe

Psalm 113

(arranged by Yossele Rosenblatt)

Cantor Israel Mul ler and Choir of the Grand Synagogue of Europe

Ad dr es s by Ra bb i Al be rt Gu ig ui , Ch ie f Ra bb i of Br us se ls

Holy Ark opened by Dr Joseph Sc huster

Vi ce Pr es id en t of th e Ce nt ra l Co un ci l of th e Je wi sh Co mm un it y of Ge rm an y

Torah Sc rol ls taken out by the Rabbinic a l delegation from Germany

Rabbi Avichai Apel, the Rabbi of Dortmund and Presidium member

of the Conference of Rabbis of Germany

Rabbi Yi tshak Ehrenberg, Community Rabbi of Berl in

Rabbi Joshua Spinner, Dean of the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary, Berlin

Hymn Ein Kamoc hah Nothing equals thy works

Cantor Israel Mul ler and Choir of the Grand Synagogue of Europe

El Male Ra hamim

Prayer of remembranc e for the v ic t ims of the Shoah

Cantor Benjamin Mul ler

Prayer for Europe, The European Union, its Heads of State and Governments

Chief Rabbi Albert Guigui


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Our mission Our history and purpose

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The Conference of European Rabbis was

founded in 1956 on the initiative of the

then British Chief Rabbi Sir Israel Brodie,

in order to revive the destroyed Jewish

communities on the European mainland.

Brodie was supported by the Chief Rabbi

of France, Jacob Kaplan, the Chief Rabbi

of Amsterdam, Aharon Schuster and the

British Sephardic spiritual leader, Hacham

Gaon. The first conference took place in

1957 in Amsterdam.

Since that time the Conference of European

Rabbis has defended the religious rights

of Jews in Europe, and has become the voice

of Judaism for the European continent. This

organisation has been involved in defending

the rights of Jews to practice Shechita and

Brit Milah. The Conference of European

Rabbis also functions as a collegial rabbinical

authority, which certifies the validity of

conversions, kashruth certifications and

other rabbinical legal decisions, problems

concerning kashrut, conversion, divorce,

recruitment of Rabbis and the building

of mikvehs as well as any issues that affect

the broader Jewish community in Europe.

The organisation is run by a standing

committee of 35 members which meets

twice a year, in a major European capital

and includes discussions of relevant halachic

issues, a visit to the local Jewish community

and meeting with the countrys government.

The Standing Committee members are

in general, the Chief Rabbis of European

countries and its most important cities

along with their senior rabbinical judges.

The general convention of the Conference

of European Rabbis convenes once every

two years to which all European Chief Rabbis

and congregational Rabbis are invited.

Close to two thousand years of Jewish life in

Europe almost came to an end last century,

when the great majority of European Jewry

was wiped out by the Nazis and the remnant

of our people living in Eastern Europe and

in the Soviet Union was forced into cultural

and ethnic assimilation.

The almost 1.7 million Jews living across

Europe today, struggle with weakening

communal structures, internal division,

assimilation and apathy, not to mention

the myriad of challenges faced when trying

to secure a better future for tomorrows

European Jews.

The Conference of European Rabbis was

founded 57 years ago in order to re-establish

the spiritual greatness of Jewish Communities

throughout Europe, the cradle of all great

spiritual movements of the Jewish people.

As the custodians of our tradition, rabbis

across Europe strive to fulfil their mission

by transmitting the legacy of our forefathers

from generation to generation, to defend

our religious rights, which are,

unfortunately again under attack in this

continent and to lend a hand to all those

who are interested in protecting and

safeguarding Europes Jewish heritage.

We call upon the spiritual leaders of Europe,

who share our belief in the basic tenets of

the Jewish faith, to join forces with us and

help us represent the interests of Judaism

and the Jewish People, before European

Governments and Official Institutions.


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Our President

chief rabbi pinchas Goldschmidt

Our Executive Secretary

rabbi elimelech Vanzetta

It is my deepest wish that those who

demonstrate a propensity for attacking

difference take the time to consider what

their true motivation is for promoting

hatred and discrimination instead of mutual

love and understanding, for advocating

that religious practices such as circumcision

or ritual slaughter be banned, instead

of respecting millennial and sacrosanct

religious rights. Pastor Martin Niemoller

chillingly recorded that only when the Nazis

came to take him away did he realise the

gravity of his failure to speak out on behalf

of the other victims of the Holocaust.

The feeling that religious communities

throughout Europe are singled out for

criticism is palpable. This is the time to

protest against the rebirth of such terrible

injustice; it is also the time to celebrate and

thank true leaders like Chancellor Merkel,

who personifies the very essence and spirit

of the European Union and its values.

With the global financial crisis showing no

sign of letting up, the Jewish community

and, indeed, all minority communities

across Europe have again, come under

attack, a sad reality reminiscent of the

darkest hours of human history. Throughout

Scandinavia, Southern Europe and

especially Greece, the odious politics of the

far-right is gaining ground and popularity.

Invariably, this is coupled with a quiescent

intolerance of religion which is unfortunately

becoming the norm in supposedly modern

liberal democracies. Moreover, the growing

violence perpetrated by radical Islamists

against the Jewish community is cause for

genuine and serious concern and must be

addressed immediately.

Building upon the work of his predecessors,

under the Presidency of Rabbi Goldschmidt

the Conference of European Rabbis has

gone from strength to strength. As a result,

the Conference of European Rabbis is now

more active than ever, as demonstrated by

our strong presence in Brussels and in the

media, showcasing our tireless efforts on

behalf of European Jewry. There is, however,

much work yet to be done, therefore, in

addition to the aforementioned, we are also

dedicated to empowering Jewish

communities across the continent via our

Hulya network of dedicated Rabbis and

educational programmes; we are active in

the preservation and safeguarding of Jewish

cemeteries and mass graves across Europe

via our daughter organisation Lo Tisckach;

we provide assistance in all matters pertaining

to Jewish Law via our renowned Rabbinical

Court, the Rabbinical Court of Europe.

Last year, we unfortunately witnessed

fundamental cornerstones of the Jewish

faith being challenged in addition to

horrific antisemitic attacks against major

Jewish communities.

On the other hand, we also saw the

establishment and development of new

and growing communities across Europe,

a fact which certainly gives us hope.

Chancellor Merkel has consistently

demonstrated her respect towards and

understanding of the Jewish Community

as well as other minorities in Germany and,

indeed, in Europe.

We are, therefore, grateful to have true

leaders like her in Europe, leaders who

set the example of what it really means to

uphold the core European values of human

dignity, freedom, de mocracy, equality, the

rule of law and the respect for human rights.

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Chairman of the Board of Patrons

boris mints

Chief Rabbi of Brussels

chief rabbi GuiGui

congregates eighty percent of all

rabbis and communities all over Europe

and the Former Soviet Union, from

Lisbon to Vladivostok, from Helsinki to

Athens. As a Pan European organisation,

we believe that it is vital for the future

of the continent that European

democracies join forces in upholding

their shared values, common goals,

and word hard at overcoming hatred,

prejudice and intolerance.

This mission is, indeed, championed

by Chancellor Merkel and we feel very

privileged to be able to thank her for

all that she has achieved thus far.

The Conference of European Rabbis

was created eleven years after the end of

the Holocaust and, ever since its inception,

it has played a crucial role in the revival

of Jewish life in Europe. The organisation

As Chief Rabbi of Brussels it gives me great

pleasure to see so many gathered in the Grand

Synagogue of Europe on this special occasion.

This synagogue was designated the Grand

Synagogue of Europe precisely because both

this city and this synagogue stand as symbols

of the European project freedom, tolerance,

understanding and dignity. It is therefore fitting

that we should be gathered in this beautiful

setting to celebrate a leader who has defended

the rights of the Jewish community in our hour

of need and who we consider a true friend.

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Our Daughter Organisations

lo tisckach

The Lo Tisckach European Jewish

Cemeteries Initiative was established in

2006 as a joint project of the Conference

of European Rabbis and the Conference on

Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

It aims to guarantee the effective and lasting

preservation and protection of Jewish

cemeteries and mass graves throughout

the European continent. This initiative,

identified by the Hebrew phrase Lo

Tisckach (do not forget), is establishing a

comprehensive publicly-accessible database

of all Jewish burial grounds in Europe,

currently featuring details on over 9,000

cemeteries and mass graves. The Lo

Tisckach project is also producing a

compendium of the different national and

international laws and practices affecting

these sites, to be used as a starting point to

advocate for the better protection and

preservation of Europes Jewish heritage.

A key aim of the project is to engage young

Europeans, bringing Europes history alive,

encouraging reflection on the values that are

important for responsible citizenship and

mutual respect, giving a valuable insight

into Jewish culture and mobilising young

people to care for our common heritage. The

project uses Jewish cemeteries a physical

legacy of formerly vibrant Jewish

communities as the focus of a practical

activity and learning programme to

meaningfully transmit to younger

generations the lessons of the Holocaust.

rabbinical court

of europe

The Rabbinical Court of Europe was

established over 15 years ago, as an initiative

of the late Chief Rabbi Lord Jakobovits,

after whom this prize was named, who, at

the time was the President of the Conference

of European Rabbis. Lord Jakobovits goal

was to respond to the repeated requests

of European communities in places where

there was no functioning Rabbinical Court.

The Rabbinical Court of Europe employs

Rabbinical Judges from across the continent

and is currently headed by Dayan Chanoch

Ehrentreu who has over 30 years of

experience in presiding over the most

distinguished Rabbinical Courts of Great

Britain. Judge Ehrentreu is the undisputed

senior legal expert in Europe in all areas

of Jewish Law.


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The Lord Jakobovits Prize

for european jewry

2013 Recipient

German chancellor anGela merkel

Lord Immanuel Jakobovits, after whom the

award is named, was a former President of

the Conference of European Rabbis and

Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew

Congregations of the Commonwealth. Lord

Jakobovits dedicated his life to the pursuit

of a philosophy which advocated religious

commitment with unyielding love and

consideration for his fellow man. The ability

to bring communities together and

recognise the value of faith in a modernising

world is one that he treasured throughouthis life and it is that character trait, above

all others, which this award recognises.

This years prize was designed by

Georgy V. Frangulyan and depicts an

open safer torah lying on top of three

closed sifrei torah. Frangulyan is a world

renowned artist whose most notable works

include the monument on Boris Yeltsins

grave at the Novedecichy cemetery in

Moscow, the monument to Okudshava on

the Arbat Street in Moscow and the statue

of Empress Elizabeth in Baltiysk.

When a district court in Cologne ruled

last year that the religious circumcision

of a young boy constituted an irreversible

and unlawful attack, the decision sent

shockwaves through the global Jewish

community. It is said that actions speak

louder than words and the speed with

which Chancellor Merkel responded to

this most urgent matter and pledged to

find an agreeable solution which would

provide for the religious freedom of both

Jewish and Muslim communities inGermany, was very gratefully received,

not just by faith groups in Germany but

throughout Europe and the world and

speaks volumes about the Chancellor

as leader and as a person.

For many Jews, it was perhaps unthinkable

that Germany could rise as quickly as

it has done from the ashes of the Shoah.

However, the nobility and honesty with

which Germany has faced up to its history

is truly remarkable and that is due in no

small measure to courageous moral clarity

and decisive leadership shown by leaders

like Chancellor Merkel.

The ability to bringcommunities together

and recognise the

value of faith in a

modernising world is

one that Lord

Jakobovits treasured

throughout his life

and it is that

character trait, above

all other, which this

award recognises.

chief rabbi Goldschmidt

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Highlights of 2012 Highlights o the frst semester, 2013

cer president

addresses

Global

interfaith

leaders

The President of the

Conference of European

Rabbis Rabbi Pinchas

Goldschmidt addressed the

opening of the Abdullah bin

Abdulaziz International

Centre for Interreligiousand Intercultural Dialogue

(KAICIID) based in Vienna,

a new interfaith project to

promote intercommunnal

understanding and

tolerance. The High profile

guests also included Islamic

League President, Abdullah

Al Turki, Cardinal Jean-

Luis Tauran, President of

the Pontifical Council for

Interreligious Dialogue in

the Roman Curia and

UN Secretary General,

Ban Ki Moon.

ukrainian prime

minister

assures rabbis

that he will

marGinalise

the far riGht

A Conference of European

Rabbis delegation led by the

President of the Conference

of European Rabbis Rabbi

Pinchas Goldschmidt

together with Chief Rabbi

Yaacov Bleich of Ukraine

has met Mykola Azarov,

Prime Minister of Ukraine

to discuss a range of issues

affecting Jewish

communities across Europe

including the rise of far

right parties in the recent

Ukrainian elections.

The Prime Minister used

the opportunity to state in

the most emphatic terms

that the Government would

not permit the far right

Svoboda Party who

achieved unprecedentedsuccess at the most recent

general election to influence

the political agenda.

cer holds

emerGency

press

conference to

discuss the

coloGne court

rulinG on

circumcision

The CER organised an

emergency meeting to

discuss the district courtruling in Cologne, which

found that neo-natal

circumcision was a breach

of a childs human rights.

The CER was anxious to get

its message that Jewish

families should continue

with circumcisions despite

the ruling. The press

conference was an

enormous success with

coverage appearing all

around the world.

cer meets

with serbian

president on

antisemitism

A Conference of European

Rabbis delegation led by

President, Chief Rabbi Pinchas

Goldschmidt has met with

President Tomislav Nikolic,

of Serbia, to discuss a range

of issues affecting Jewish

communities across Europeincluding the rise of

antisemitism and the

restitution of holocaust victims.

President Nikolic used the

opportunity to state in the

most emphatic terms that

the Serbian Government is

committed to supporting the

Jewish community and he gave

his commitment to supporting

the restitution of the Serbian

Jewish Community.

President Tomislav Nikolic

commented, As nations, we

have inseparable ties, our

destinies are tied and every time

our people suffered your people

suffered as well. Although there

is no longer a large Jewish

community in Serbia the small

community that remains is

welcome and treasured by

the Serbian people.

the cer

launches

annual internet

entrepreneurs

prize

The Conference of European

Rabbis announced the CER

Internet Entrepreneurs Prize

2013, established to reward

excellence and innovation

in digital and web based

ventures, for buddingentrepreneurs who believe

they have an App which is

going to take the world by

storm, a website which is

going to heal the planet or a

digital enterprise they think

could truly help to improve

lives.

It might seem strange for a

Rabbinical organisation to

offer a technology prize but we

believe that the internet has

the potential to achieve great

things, providing a platform

for dialogue between people

and engaging the traditionalJewish pursuit of Tikkun

Olam healing the world.

The judging panel which will

choose the finalists include

Yossi Vardi, the father of the

High Tech industries in Israel,

and Anton Nossik, a famous

internet personality from

Russia.

cer Vice

president rabbi

yaakoV bleich

testifies in us

conGress on

antisemitism

in ukraine

The Human Rights

Subcommittee of the US

House Foreign Affairs

Committee invited CER

Vice President Rabbi

Yaakov Bleich to testify

before the committee on the

resurgence of antisemitism

in Europe.

The subcommittee, chaired

by Rep. Chris Smith, was

told that antisemitism in

the 21st Century has

increasingly taken the form

of viral hate messages on

the Internet, property

damage to Jewish

institutions, violent crimes

to people and the rise of

neo-Nazi parties in

governments throughoutEurope.

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Our PatronsStanding Committee

Boris Mints (Chairman)

Moscow

Joelle Aflalo

Luxembourg

Peter Aven

Moscow

Yan Abramov

Moscow

Michael Bezeliansky

London

Solomon Bukingholz

Riga Moscow

Michael Freund

Jerusalem

Michail Fridman

Moscow

Yuri Kanner

Moscow

Amb. Ronald S. Lauder

New York

James Levy

Gibraltar

Alexander Mashkevitch

Zurich

Gavriel Mireli

Tel Aviv

Conrad Morris

London

Anthony Moshal

London

Dr. Ariel Musicant

Vienna

Andrew Rashbass

London

Igor M. Shamiss

Moscow

Vadim Shulman

Monaco

Lord George Weidenfeld

London

Manny Weiss

London

Michael Yudanin

Munich

Dayan Y. AbrahamJudge, London RabbinicalCourt, UK

Rabbi Avichai ApelRabbi of Dortmund, GermanyMember of the Presidium ofGerman Orthodox Rabbis

Rabbi Alfonso ArbibChief Rabbi of Milan, Italy

Rabbi S. BakshtChief Rabbi of Odessa, Ukraine

Rabbi Yaakov D. BleichChief Rabbi of Ukraine

Rabbi Yitzchak DayanChief Rabbi of Geneva,Switzerland

Rabbi RiccardoDi SegniChief Rabbi of Rome, Italy

Rabbi Marcel EbelChief Rabbi of Zurich,Switzerland

Rabbi Yitshak EhrenbergChief Rabbi of Berlin, Germany

Dayan Chanoch EhrentreuPresident, Rabbinical Courtof Europe, UK

Rabbi Paul Chaim EisenbergChief Rabbi of Vienna, Austria

Rabbi Rafael EversPresident, NetherlandsRabbinical Seminary

Rabbi Bruno FiszonChief Rabbi of Metz, France

Dayan Menachem GelleySenior Judge, LondonRabbinical Court, UK

Rabbi Alain GoldmannEmeritus Chief Rabbi of Paris,France

Rabbi Pinchas GoldschmidtChief Rabbi of Moscow, Russia

Rabbi Albert GuiguiChief Rabbi of Brussels,Belgium

Rabbi Ren GutmanChief Rabbi of Strasbourg,France

Rabbi Jonathan GuttentagWhitefield Congregation,Manchester, UK

Rabbi Michel GugenheimChief Rabbi of Paris

Rabbi Dr Zalman KossowskyEmeritus Chief Rabbi ofZurich, Switzerland

Rabbi Steven LangnasMunich, Germany

Rabbi Guiseppe LarasEmeritus Chief Rabbi of Milan,Italy

Rabbi Moshe LebelRosh Yeshiva, Torat Hayim,Moscow, RussiaCER Rabbinical Director

Rabbi Abraham LevyEmeritus Spiritual Head of theSpanish and Portuguese JewishCongregation of London, UK

Rabbi Ephraim MervisChief Rabbi Designate of theUnited Hebrew Congregationsof the Commonwealth, UK

Rabbi Shlomo Noach MandelCER Representative in North

America

Rabbi Arye RalbagChief Rabbi of Amsterdam,The Netherlands

Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksChief Rabbi of the UnitedHebrew Congregationsof the Commonwealth

Rabbi Shmuel AkivaSchlesingerEtz Hayim, Strasbourg

Rabbi Michael SchudrichChief Rabbi of Poland

Rabbi Joseph SitrukEmeritus Chief Rabbi of France

Rabbi Joshua SpinnerDean of the HildesheimerRabbinical Seminary Berlin,Germany

Rabbi Pinchas ToledanoPortuguese Jewish Communityof Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Rabbi Richard WertenschlagChief Rabbi of Lyon, France

Rabbi David YuschuvaevTorah Mitzion, Moscow, Russia

Rabbi Refoel KruskalChairman of the CERExecutive Committee

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