By COLlive reporter
90 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) took part in the 5th annual EuroChanukah candle lighting ceremony, organized by Rabbi Levi Matusof, director of the Brussels-based European Jewish Public Affairs.
With the parliament currently holding plenary meetings at its location in Strasbourg, France, the event was coordinated with the local Jewish community and Chabad Lubavitch of Strasbourg.
MEP Boris Zala from Slovakia, who hosted the event, gave opening remarks and invited Rabbi Matusof, who maintains a close relationship with senior European governments officials, to chair the evening’s proceedings.
The event took place during a break between plenary discussions. Usually the maximum time parliament members spend at such events is 45 minutes. Many of them ended up saying for over 2 hours.
Parliament President Martin Schulz, in Oslo at the time of the event, received a menorah from a delegation of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe the preceding week, and was represented by his Vice-President Jacek Protasiewicz.
In his remarks, Protasiewicz linked the Chanukah candles and the message of freedom with the Nobel Peace Prize which the European Union has won.
Also present was former Parliament President Jerzy Buzek.
In his unique style and humor, Rabbi Mendel Samama of the Strasbourg Jewish Community briefly related the story of Hanukkah and recited the blessings.
Zala lit the Shamash and the second candle was lit by the co-sponsors Nuno Martins, Bnai Brith International’s director of the European Affairs accompanied by an AT&T representative.
The parliament building is normally smoking free, but special permission was granted to light the candles for one hour. For security reasons it was supervised by firefighters.
The 400 attendees watched a historical film about the city of Pressburg – Bratislava (the city where Mr. Zala was born), produced by the Israel-Slovakia Chamber of Commerce in which Shliach Rabbi Zev Stiefel of Prestany talks about rejuvenating Jewish life.
During the ensuing cocktail party, guests enjoyed an exclusive selection of fine Yarden wines from the Israeli Golan Heights winery – a fact that did not go unnoticed by the proud distributors.
