Nicholas Sarkozy has spoken passionately about the importance of French Jews feeling comfortable to practise their faith in public as he was honoured for protecting the country’s community at a dinner in central London tonight.
The Conference of European Rabbis presented the politician with an award in honour of his efforts to support French Jewry as interior minister and later president.
He said: “We do not want French Jews to leave France because they are afraid. We want them to be comfortable to wear a kippah. We must stand up to protect our Jewish communities. It is impossible not to. We did not fight the Nazis to force the Jews to run to Israel 70 years later.”
Sarkozy was the first recipient of the Rabbi Moshe Rosen prize, initiated in memory of the former Chief Rabbi of Romania who for many years safeguarded his community through great self-sacrifice during years of communist rule.
Source: Jewish News
