The chief Rabbi of Moscow, Pinchas Goldschmidt, has announced the creation of a Jewish-Muslim leaders' group to enhance dialogue between the two religions in Europe.
Speaking at a Conference of European Rabbis gathering in Toulouse on Wednesday, Rabbi Goldschmidt, who is also president of the CER, said: "The mission of the CER is to be the vehicle to further Judeo-Islamic dialogue in Europe," he said. In conjunction with Saudi-backed inter-religious group Kaiciid, the first meeting will be held in Paris next month.
Toulouse was chosen as the venue for this year's convention in order to demonstrate solidarity with the local Jewish community, four of whose members were killed in 2012 when an Islamist went on a shooting spree at a school.
Chief Rabbi of Toulouse, Avraham Weill said: "There was a life before the attacks and there is one after. It is not at all the same. We have had to learn to live with that.
"We are getting back to normal little by little. The first few weeks were difficult, people in the community were in shock; we didn't know how they were going to react.
"In the end, the community managed to stay strong: the synagogues did not empty and the Jewish schools didn't lose students."