EU leader tells Europe’s Jews: ‘I will always be there for you’
First VP of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, stands by continents community while being awarded the Lord Jakobovits Prize for European Jewry
A European leader has told the continent’s Jewish community “I will always be there for you” as he was awarded the Lord Jakobovits Prize for European Jewry.
Speaking at the Great Synagogue in Brussels, First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans said: “I will always be there for you, I will always defend your rights and I will always stand by you.”
Together with Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament, Timmermans was honoured with one of European Jewry’s highest accolades, named after former Chief Rabbi Lord Immanuel Jakobovits.
Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis, presented the award to Timmermans, while Rabbi Albert Guigui, Chief Rabbi of Brussels, presented a second award to Tajani.
In an emotional address, delivered without notes, Timmermans said: “The souls of so many cities were torn out during the Shoah but the attitude of the Jewish community is the ultimate triumph over Hitler and his henchman. This is our common quest. This is the Europe we want to be a part of.”
At the same ceremony, the Rabbi Moshe Rosen Prize was awarded to Lithuanian novelist Ruta Vanagaite, whose novels have challenged her nation’s understanding of its treatment of Jews during the war. Last year the prize was awarded for former French president Nicholas Sarkozy.
Goldschmidt thanked Timmermans and Tajani for their support for religious freedom in Europe but warned against “the sinister undercurrent [of hate] in society that many of us hoped was consigned to the past”.
Listen to the Jewish Views podcast!
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
