The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) has awarded the first Rabbi Moshe Rosen Prize to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The award honours his years of service, first as Interior Minister and then as President of France, protecting the French Jewish communities. The award was presented during a dinner held in a Central London hotel on the evening of 10 January 2016.

President Sarkozy has been an outspoken supporter of the Jewish community over many years, which he reiterated during a public discussion with journalist Tim Marshall during the Prize Presentation Ceremony. President Sarkozy 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.”