The title of the Cer Prize conference of the Conference of European Rabbis, which took place this year on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean, is the promotion of innovation for Tikun Olam. Adrian Seed, CEO of the government companies in Malta and one of the organizers of the conference explains the main goal of the conference: “We want to create stronger ties with the businesses of the Jewish communities all over the world. Contacts with key Jewish personalities living in Europe as well as with Israelis help us build business opportunities here in Malta and also strengthen ties in general.”
“What pushed us to hold this conference,” says Sid, “is the realization that even though Israel is so close to us geographically, the economic potential has never been realized. Malta has progressed in many areas since gaining its independence in 1964. In the first years we focused on military development, joining the Union the European in 2004 and now we want to strengthen ties with our neighbors, there was no rivalry or misunderstanding between Israel and Malta, yet time passed and things did not progress. We are here to try and bridge the lost time.”
The connection between Malta and the rabbis of Europe began with Adrian Seid’s chance meeting with Gadi Gronish, CEO of the Conference of European Rabbis, at a conference in Davos. “Three years ago I met with Seid at the World Economic Conference in Davos, when the rabbis of Europe, together with the government of the Emirates, established the Arab Jewish Home. During the economic conference Sid wanted to taste kosher food served at the event. A month after that dinner, I received a call from him and an offer to host the next conference of the Conference of European Rabbis in Malta.”
Grunish told about the prize that was distributed at the conference on innovation. And on the role of the Conference of European Rabbis as a political body bridging the Jews and governments: “We are giving out a prize to young entrepreneurs from around the world who have developed new technologies under the concept of a better world. We are trying to promote this issue and we have already seen winners in conferences held in the past who were able to provide solutions for the blind and those with other disabilities. The Rabbis of Europe is a rabbinic body but also a political body that represents the Jews in front of European governments. Our connections are also of considerable importance in the business aspect. There are quite a few donors and entrepreneurs who with our help get their appropriate connection with the decision makers in the political and business community in Europe.”
This year, the conference gave awards to the entrepreneurs of 2020 and 2021, when during the time of the Corona, no conference was held and no awards were given. Among the entrepreneurs who received awards were apps to assist in the early detection of epilepsy, an app that helps young people suffering from migraines, an Israeli app in the field of education, and more.
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Rabbinical Conference of Europe, who left Russia after 30 years following the war, spoke about the personal and general consequences of the war and the ambition to advance Europe: “This year was very difficult. We live today in a reality where everyone in Europe understands that the idea of the European Union is gaining importance All the countries that make up Europe cannot survive if they are not together. When the war started, experts all over the world predicted that within a week Russia would crush Ukraine. Today we are already more than 8 months into the war, and no one is talking about a Russian victory anymore. People are talking about A victory for Ukraine. We hope that the just peace will come very soon.”
“In the last 15 years, Europe has suffered from a chain of terrorist incidents. Everyone understood that this is not the problem of the Jews only, but of all free citizens. There is an understanding that cooperation is needed and the economic issue is a catalyst for this. New tech and social networks are changing the world. Europe was behind China is behind the US in terms of high-tech, we have work to do to catch up. And that is one of the reasons we are here in Malta.”
To the question of what is the connection between Europe’s rabbis and high-tech, Rabbi Goldschmidt answers: “There are two reasons: one, is the understanding that media and technology are changing the world. In Europe, revolutions took place following the introduction of the printing press and freedom of information. Today, the information of a million books passes through the Internet in one hour, and this certainly changes reality. We want this power to be channeled in a positive way. To build the world and not to destroy it. A second reason is the halachic challenge that innovation invites us to. There are many moral questions that arise as a result of innovation. We believe that every person in the world is a whole world and we work to fix the world, among other things, through innovation.”