Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi David Lau met the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodulides, at his palace in Nicosia on Wednesday together with Chief Rabbi of Cyprus Arie Zeev Raskin, Israeli Ambassador Oren Anolik, and a rabbinical delegation.
Chief Rabbi Lau and the President reflected on the strong bond between Cyprus and Israel and the historical friendship between the Cypriot and Jewish people during the difficult times of the British internment camps in Cyprus in 1946-1949.
Rabbi Lau mentioned the outstanding collaboration of the Chief Rabbinate of Cyprus with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and asked the President to support the Chief Rabbi of Cyprus, Arie Zeev Raskin, in promoting religious freedom in the Country.
Chief Rabbi Lau mentioned a few of the main challenges faced by the Jewish community, namely, the lack of practical legislation to accommodate the activities of the Chief Rabbinate of Cyprus, such as authorization to register Jewish marriages in the national civil registry, making Kosher meat available and affordable, and supporting its educational and cultural projects, most notably the Jewish Museum of Cyprus which is under immense progress for the last decade.
The Jewish community of Cyprus has 3,000 families who permanently reside in Cyprus. Jewish tourists from Israel alone numbered 480,000 last year.
At the end of the meeting, Rabbi Lau gave the president a special edition of postage cards with portraits of former Chief Rabbis of Israel created in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
Chief Rabbi of Cyprus, Arie Zeev Raskin, gave the President bottle of Kosher wine “Yai’n Kafrisin” made in the boutique Lamboury Winery located in Platres, Cyprus.
The President promised to assist Chief Rabbi Raskin with these critical missions and extended his warm wishes to the Jewish community of Cyprus.
