Luxembourg – Conference Of European Orthdox Rabbis Rewards Online Creativity At Inaugural Ceremony

Luxembourg – In a first-time awards ceremony, Orthodox rabbis publicly acknowledged and awarded digital entrepreneurs for their creativity in the digital world.

In a press release published December 11, The Conference of European Rabbis announced winners of the Internet Entrepreneurs’ Prize. This is the first time that a rabbinical organization has rewarded technological innovation, basing the awards on the importance of connecting the digital world to Jewish traditional values.

First place winners were Igor Baranove and Chaim Aisenshtat for their donor app, Itsbeta, a platform for encouraging blood donation. Alena Vladimirskaya won second place for her app, Pruffi, a platform dedicated to making job recruitment easier. Third place was awarded to Misha Beshkin for “Is it Kosher?” an app that determines the “Kosher” status of products using barcode scanning. The fourth place winner was Rav Dov Roth Lumbroso for Chiourim, an app that provides Jewish news.

First prize was 26,000 Euros and the runner up prize was 18,000 Euros. The awards are aimed at up-and-coming entrepreneurs who have an app, website or digital enterprise that in some way improves the lives of others or brings about global connections.

The awards were presented at a gala dinner held in Luxembourg in the Chateau de 7 Fontaines, in the presence of His Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy Etienne Schneider, members of the Conference of European Rabbis and leading businessmen and local dignitaries.

Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis, said, “More information travels in one day on the internet than books were printed during the last hundred years. Therefore, in this age of mass media, it is more important than ever that cutting edge technology embraces traditional values and yet this is an area which has been largely overlooked by faith communities.

“This prize is seeking to encourage the use of the internet for the purpose of “Tikun Olam” for the betterment of society and the world as whole. This is the start of what we hope will be a sustained and positive dialogue with the ever developing world of digital media.”

First place winners Baranov and Aisenshtat said, “More than one million people are being connected by us to help save lives, we are thankful for this recognition.”

The prize giving ceremony is now an annual event.

The Conference of European Rabbis unites more than 700 religious leaders of the mainstream synagogue communities in Europe.