The Conference of European Rabbis has called on the government of Egypt to ensure the protection of religious rights after Egypt advised Jewish pilgrims not to visit the country for an annual pilgrimage at the grave of a saintly rabbi.

CER President Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt said that protecting the rights of non-Muslim groups in Egypt “is the ultimate test of the success of the Arab Spring and the progress of democracy and human rights” in the country.

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“The world is looking at how Egypt protects the rights of all religious minorities in the country. To now describe as ‘inappropriate’ a peaceful visit to the tomb of a sainted Egyptian rabbi which has been going on for decades is an affront to the principles of tolerance and human rights for which many Egyptians laid down their lives during the Arab Spring,” Rabbi Goldschmidt said.

Recently, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that an annual pilgrimage visit to the tomb of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira, a well-known Jewish mystic and religious leader who is buried in the Egyptian city of Damanhur, would not be allowed to go ahead because of fears of violence by Muslim fundamentalist groups.

“Our hopes and prayers continue to be with those who are fighting for a new Middle East based on respect for people of all faiths. We call on Egypt to protect Jewish pilgrims and to reflect on the value of preserving this important religious pilgrimage that stands as testimony to the longstanding history of the Jewish presence in Egypt,” Rabbi Goldschmidt said.

The Conference of European Rabbis federates Jewish religious leaders in over 40 European countries and includes all the continent’s chief rabbis and senior rabbinical judges. The CER holds consultancy status as an international NGO at the Council of Europe and within the institutions of the European Union.