An initiative of the United Jewish Social Fund, the main French Jewish charity, the Prize for Tolerance and Brotherhood has an endowment of 15 000 euros. Under the patronage of President Nicolas Sarkozy, the award was given to a Youth Cultural Centre led my Max Leguen in Ris Orangis, south of Paris, by former president Jacques Chirac.
Bernard Accoyer, the President of the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, recalled the barbaric torture suffered by Ilan Halimi and reaffirmed that “the Republic cannot be divided up in communities, but must bring all the people of France together within a common set of values. For Jacques Chirac, “anti-Semitism is not an opinion, but a deadly perversion”. “Today, anti-Semitism and all forms of racism are still present in our society,” he added. “They are threatening our national cohesion. Too much discrimination stigmatises religion and people’s origins and undermines our Republican pact,” concluded the former president.
Many leading figures were present to support Ruth Halimi, Ilan’s mother. The ambassadors of Tunisia, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Turkey and the General Delegate of the Palestinian Authority Hind Khoury were also present at the ceremony.
CRIF was represented by Francis Kalifat, member of the executive and Treasurer.
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