Protecting the rights of Jewish prisoners in Europe
Aleph humanitarian group to host conference in The Netherlands dedicated to educating spiritual leaders, public figures and lawyers on the rights of Jewish prisoners in European jails
Rabbis among communities, chaplains, public figures, human rights activists, and lawyers from across Europe have been invited to the event.
The conference will take place in The Netherlands on May 17-19, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice of the Government of the Netherlands with the presence of the Dutch Minister of Justice Dr. Hirsch Balin.
International experts, as well as important personalities from the European Commission in Brussels, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, judges at the European Court of Human Rights, and more have already confirmed their attendance.
According to Aleph, thousands of Jewish prisoners across Europe receive extensive support and assistance in various areas by rabbis and chaplains, but experience proves that all this is not enough.
"It happens more then once that the rabbis and chaplains don’t have complete understanding of the prison authorities; not always do the prison authorities make the activities for the Jewish prisoners a must; and rabbi and chaplains aren’t always aware of their rights opposite the prison authorities. Also, and not less important, often the Rabbi or the chaplain faces moral dilemmas that are not simple," the organization explained in a statement.
The conference will focus on the following issues: optimizing and improving the treatment of Jewish prisoners, development and rehabilitation programs to help prisoners leave their crime circle, reinforcing the status of rabbis and chaplains in the eyes of the prisons’ authorities in various countries.
