BRUSSELS (EJP)---‘’I am aware of the diverse and difficult situations in which the Jewish communities find themselves and I am concerned when I hear that Jews, 76 years after the Shoah, consider leaving Europe because they feel that they are no longer safe, because they do not see a future for their children in our countries. Or even because they feel they have seen it before,’’ said European Commissioner Vera Jourova, in charge of Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, in an address as host of an annual EuroChanukah event at the Berlaymont, the seat of the European Commission in Brussels.

The Commissioner, from the Czech Republic, assured the Jewish community that ‘’ the European Commission and I personally will do everything we can to ensure that Jews in Europe can live the lives they want to live. ‘’

‘’Anything else would be a failure. As it has been said on many occasions, Europe without Jews is no longer Europe, she added.

‘’When Jewish Rights are Human Rights, the struggle for the right of Jews to live, study and pray as Jews is always used to advance Human rights worldwide.’’

EuroChanukah is organized every year by the European Jewish Community Centre (EJCC) together with the European Commission.

This year, falling just a few days before the International Human Rights Day, the event was dedicated to Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate, Holocaust survivor and writer, a man who has devoted his life to sharing his own light to better the world.

This year Chanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, will be celebrated from 24 to 31 December. As Commissioner Jourova noted in her address, ‘’the lighting of the first candle of Chanukah will coincide with Holy night this year which was the case ony four times in the last century. ‘’This makes 2016 a very special year. When we light a candle at the Christmas treeor the Chankkia, we shold pause for a moment and think and reflect how much unites us.’’

“Chanukah teaches us that a small light can dissolve much darkness. It encourages people to share their individual light and to appreciate each other,’’  said EJCC Director Rabbi Avi Tawil.

Vera Jourova ended her speech by wishing the audience ''Chanukah Sameach'' (Happy Chanukah).