EU Parliament President Blows Shofar

Last month, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek hosted a reception in honor of the Jewish New Year at the Parliament building in Brussels.

Some 600 guests, among them 50 members of the European parliament, foreign ambassadors, and prominent members of the Jewish community participated in the ceremony.

Chabad representative to Italy, Rabbi Gershon Mendel Garelik, European Jewish Union CEO, Tomer Orni, European Jewish Union Vice President, Vadim Rabinovitch, and Rabbi Levi Matusof joined in presenting the Parliament President with a gold plated Shofer.

Referring to recent events in the Middle East, the Parliament President called on the European community to be optimistic. He further reminded the crowd of their duty to ensure that the next generation lives in a world of tolerance and peace.

After addressing the crowd, Buzek blew his new shofar amidst thunderous applause.

The reception was organized by the European Jewish Union (EJU) in conjunction with the European Jewish Community Centre (EJCC) and the European Jewish Public Affairs (EJPA).

Speaking at the event, European Jewish Union CEO Tomer Orni announced the launch of JN1 (Jewish News One) a new 24-hour international satellite TV news network.