European Jews have begun voting for the first-ever European Jewish Parliament, which will comprise 120 members, as in the Knesset.

More than 1,000 candidates have registered for the parliament, which the European Jewish Union said will serve "to bring together and coordinate the voices of Jewish communities and individuals from West, Central and Eastern Europe.

Jews residing in 54 European countries are eligible to run for the Parliament and to vote, regardless of their political, religious or communal affiliations. The Parliament will be based in Brussels where regular General Assemblies will be held.

The elections are being conducted on the EJU website  www.eju.org  and voters can only vote for candidates from their own country of residence.

Tomer Orni, Chief Executive Officer of the European Jewish Union said, "There is great excitement and high hopes across Europe regarding the European Jewish Parliament.

“For the first time, Jews in Europe are electing their representatives directly with the use of state of the art modern technology. I believe these elections mark the beginning of a new era for European Jewry. From today, every Jew in Europe has a voice."