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Seminar Europe against anti-Semitism for a Union of diversity
Inviting leading figures from public life, representatives of communities of faith and the general public to a seminar on anti-Semitism, President Romano Prodi set the tone when he said:
"civilisations can be judged by the way they treat their minorities. Recent manifestations of anti-Semitism in Europe have caused alarm and concern within the Union and abroad. Racism and xenophobia are a clear violation of the principles upon which our Union was founded. Whilst firm and immediate action must be taken to deal with any manifestation of anti-Semitism, the underlying causes need to be addressed frankly and openly. […] There is no place for racism or anti-Semitism in the European Union."
The seminar was organised by the European Commission, the European Jewish Congress and the Congress of European Rabbis and took place in Brussels on 19 February. In response to public and media interest, the speeches and information available has been posted on this website. Watch this space for further developments.
Summary: (pdf
file
:
, 
33 kb)
Speakers at the Seminar
Welcome addresses:
- Ricardo Franco Levi, Director, European Commission
- Cobi Benatoff, President, European Jewish Congress (EJC) (pdf
file:
, , 16
Kb) - René Samuel Sirat, Chief Rabbi of Paris, Conference of European Rabbis
(CER) (pdf file :
, 17
Kb )
1st Session:
- Elie Wiesel, 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (pdf file :
, 21
Kb)
2nd Session:
- Nathan Sharansky, Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, Israel
(pdf file :
21 Kb)
- Joschka Fischer, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Germany
- Avraham Burg, former Speaker of the Israeli Knesset
- Barrie Robinson, Ambassador, European Union Irish Presidency (pdf
file:
, 14
Kb)
3rd Session:
- Adriana Goldstaub, CDEC (Fondazione Centro di Documentazione Ebraica
Contemporanea), Milan (pdf file:
, , 29
Kb)
- Henry Grunwald, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
(pdf file:
, 27
Kb)
4th Session:
- Philippe Xavier Ignace Cardinal Barbarin (pdf file:
, 19
Kb), Archbishop of Lyon and Primate of Gaul
- Dalil Boubakeur, Rector of the Great Mosque of Paris (pdf file: , 41
Kb)
- Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom (pdf file:
, 20
Kb)
5th Session:
- Roger Cukierman (pdf file:
, 21
Kb), President, Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France
(CRIF)
- Charlotte Knobloch, Vice-President, European Jewish Congress and Zentralrat
der Juden in Deutschland (pdf file:
17
Kb)
- Amos Luzzatto (pdf file:
, , 27
Kb), President of the Italian Jewish Communities
Closing speeches
- Cobi Benatoff, President, European Jewish Congress (pdf file:
, , 14
Kb)
- António Vitorino, Member of the European Commission Closing remarks
- Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom (Closing remarks
- pdf file :
, 13
Kb)
Organisers:
| European Commission B -1049 Brussels Belgium |
European Jewish Congress 78 Avenue des Champs Elysées F- 75008 Paris France |
Conference of European Rabbis 19, rue Saint-Georges F- 75009 Paris France |
Background:
On
receiving the Humanitarian Achievement Award, Speech by President
Prodi, Vienna, 2 February 2004
Holocaust Memorial Day, Statement by President Prodi, Brussels, 26 January
2004