NEWS – UCEI President Congratulates New EU Parliament President

By Pagine Ebraiche staff

The president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), Noemi Di Segni, sent a message to congratulate Italian member of the European Union Parliament, David Sassoli, over his election as new EU Parliament President.

“The appointment of an Italian as the leader of the EU Parliament is a cause of great pride and satisfaction to the whole country,” Di Segni said.

“As Italian Jews, we are aware of the inestimable value of a united Europe, which today is threatened by the rise of alarming nationalism and populism. It is important to preserve the value of European institutions from those who tried to delegitimize them. At the same time effective responses are needed for the concerns of citizens on topics like security, rule of law, and protection of cultural roots. Moreover, all of this must be done without sacrificing seventy years of peace and coexistence built on the ashes of the Second World War,” she added.

“I am the son of a man that at the age of twenty fought against other Europeans, and of a mother that at the age of twenty had to leave her own home to find shelter with other families. I know that this is the story of many of your families as well. And I know that if we were to share our stories and we were to tell them drinking a beer together, we would not say we are the sons and daughters of an accident of history,” Sassoli said during his inauguration speech.