Brussels - 23-Dec-09 The Conference of European Rabbis regrets the decision taken by Pope Benedict XVI to declare that Pius XII displayed heroic virtues throughout his life, thereby moving his World War II-predecessor closer to beatification.
In light of Pius’ XII failure to make any protests as six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, the move stands in contrast to the message and the values of the Church. Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, Chief Rabbi of Rome and member of the Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis, emphasised that “we cannot in any way interfere with internal decisions of the Church and ... more
| Moscow - 2-Dec-09 
CER Standing Committee in session at the Moscow Choral Synagogue © www.creativejew.com | The Conference of European Rabbis expresses concern at the results of the recent referendum in Switzerland banning minarets in the country as an action likely to legitimise limitations on religious freedom.
A motion passed unanimously by the CER Standing Committee said that “effective combat against Islamist fundamentalism is not best served by denying basic religious freedoms."
The CER expressed its particular condemnation of the YES campaign in the referendum which portrayed minarets as missiles and sought to brand all Muslims as dangerous and violent extremists.
“Generating a fear of religious and of all Muslims is not a positive step to building a free ... more
| Moscow - 1-Dec-09 
Senior CER rabbis Dayan Menachem Gelley and Chief Rabbi Arye Ralbag sign certificates of semicha during the CER Standing Committee meeting in Moscow © www.creativejew.com | The Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis held a three-day meeting in Moscow this week marking 20 years of the accession of its Chairman, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, as Chief Rabbi of Moscow.
At a celebratory Hag HaSemicha held at the Moscow Choral Synagogue, CER rabbis presented rabbinical diplomas to eight Russian rabbinical students of Yeshivat Torat Chayim in Moscow under the leadership of CER Rabbinical Director, Rabbi Moshe Lebel. The students will now go on to serve Jewish communities across the Russian Federation.
Leading rabbis from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia and Britain attended the three-day ... more
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