Conference of European Rabbis Annual Review 2017-2018 (5777-5778) 9 www.rabbiscer.org The CER Today Today, the CER is the primary Orthodox rabbinical alliance in Europe. It unites over 700 religious leaders of the mainstream synagogue communities in Europe. The CER is run by a Standing Committee which convenes twice a year for working meetings and policy assessments in one of the European capitals. These conventions are combined with a visit to the local Jewish community and institutions, and meetings with the government and other bodies for strengthening ties and co-operation on matters of local and pan-Europan Jewish significance. The Standing Committee members are, in general, the Chief Rabbis of European countries and major cities and Dayanim (senior rabbinical judges). The entire CER membership assembles once every two years at a general convention to which all European Chief Rabbis and congregational rabbis are invited. The CER is mandated to defend the religious rights of Jews in Europe, and has become the voice of Judaism for Europe. It has recently been involved with defending the rights of Jews to slaughter animals for consumption (shechita) and to circumcise their sons (brit milah). The CER also functions as a rabbinical authority, with expert committees to certify conversions and kashrut (kosher) operations and to pass rabbinical legal decisions affecting the broader Jewish community. It has always been the body to which European Jewish communities and rabbis turn for support in facilitating their religious functions; recruiting rabbis and educators; and other issues. Its special department for planning, engineering and building mikva’ot (ritual baths) has fulfilled over a dozen such projects all over Europe.