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NEWS
CER Conference in Prague
by Yated Ne'eman Staff
The Conference of European Rabbis held its 26th conference on
Monday afternoon 12 Cheshvan in Prague, marking the 70th
anniversary of Kristallnacht and 400 years since the passing
of the Maharal of Prague zt"l. Under the name "From
Darkness to Light," the conference addressed outreach, proper
conversion and other current issues.
Some 300 participants — leading European rabbonim and
dayanim, heads of Jewish organizations and guests from 30
countries — arrived in the Czech capital to take part
in the four-day event.
The conference is held approximately once every two years.
French Chief Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sitruk serves as president.
The guest of honor of the event, which was backed by
maranan verabonon, was Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Yisroel
Meir Lau, who also participated in a memorial ceremony held
this week in Brussels to mark Kristallnacht. CER Chairman Mr.
Moshe Kantor, who generously assisted in organizing the
conference, said, "The greatest revenge against those who
razed the botei knesses of Europe is the flourishing
of European Jewry, which is apparent at the Prague
conference."
On Tuesday a large delegation of rabbonim from the former
Soviet Union headed by the chairman of the CER Standing
Committee, HaRav Pinchos Goldschmidt, the av beis din
of Moscow, arrived in Prague for the event. Conference
delegations met with the Czech President Vaclav Klaus, the
Deputy Prime Minister and other ranking government officials,
some of who also paid a visit to the conference. Starting
next month Klaus will begin his six-month tenure as head of
the European Union Council. On Wednesday the Jewish community
held a special reception for the conference participants.
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