Conference of European Rabbis Annual Review 2017-2018 (5777-5778) 25 www.rabbiscer.org CER Prizes The section that follows describes the various honours given by the CER, or given to the CER members, in the past 24 months. The Harav Lord Jakobovits Prize of European Jewry H I S T O R Y The Harav Lord Jakobovits Prize of European Jewry was established by the president of the CER in 2011 to be awarded to personalities who have shown support to European Jewry, defended their religious rights and combated antisemitism. Lord Immanuel Jakobovits, after whom the award is named, was CER President and Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. He dedicated his life to the pursuit of a philosophy which advocated religious commitment with unyielding love and consideration for his fellow man. The ability to bring communities together and recognize the value of faith in a modernizing world is one that he treasured throughout his life and it is that character trait, above all others, which this award recognises. This prize was designed by Georgy V. Frangulyan and depicts an open Torah scroll lying on top of three closed Torah scrolls, symbolising the mission of the CER to recreate a presence of Judaism after one-third of the Jewish people were wiped out in the Holocaust. Frangulyan is a world renowned artist whose works include the monument on Boris Yeltsin’s grave at the Novedecichy cemetery in Moscow. The prize was awarded in 2012 to former Polish Prime Minister and President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, and in 2013 to German Chancellor Angela Merker. In 2014 the prize was awarded to Manuel Valls, Prime Minister of France, in 2016 to His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, and in 2018 to Antonio Tajani, EP President and Frans Timmermans, EC Vice-President. T H E 2 0 1 8 W I N N E R Senior VP of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, was awarded the Lord Jakobovits Prize for European Jewry. A European leader has told the continent’s Jewish community “I will always be there for you” as he was awarded the Lord Jakobovits Prize for European Jewry. Speaking at the Great Synagogue in Brussels, First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans said: “I will always be there for you, I will always defend your rights and I will always stand by you.” Together with Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament, Timmermans was honoured with one of European Jewry’s highest accolades, named after former Chief Rabbi Lord Immanuel Jakobovits. Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis, presented the award to Timmermans, while Rabbi Albert Guigui, Chief Rabbi of Brussels, presented a second award to Tajani. In an emotional address, delivered without notes, Timmermans said: “The souls of so many cities were torn out during the Shoah but the attitude of the Jewish community is the ultimate triumph over Hitler and his henchman. This is our common quest. This is the Europe we want to be a part of.” The CER Internet Entrepreneurs Prize The CER recognises the importance of tech and innovation. The CER Internet Entrepreneurs Prize is a competition particularly aimed at budding entrepreneurs who have an app, website or digital enterprise that supports global harmony or improves the lives of others. The awards are given at our annual gala dinner held in a different European country every year. The winners have the opportunity to meet parliamentarians, dignitaries and CER members. They are invited to bring a guest with them to the event, with all expenses covered.