Jerusalem, September 23rd, 2022 – After a pause of almost three years caused by the corona pandemic, the European Coalition for Israel returned to Jerusalem last week. During a full week of board meetings and private appointments ECI also met with representatives of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the World Zionist Organization to discuss ways of strengthening their cooperation.
This Sunday, on the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShanah, ECI Communications officer Rebeka Goba will invite friends of Israel on a guided virtual tour of Jerusalem as she meets with local residents to discuss the meaning of the Jewish High Holidays. (FB link for Sunday below in red.)
This is a follow-up to last year’s live broadcast from Jerusalem where Jews and Christians from around the world, from the Pacific Islands to Guatemala, took part in a six-hour celebration with music, dance and well wishes.
In previous years ECI has hosted Jewish New Year ceremonies at the United Nations headquarters in New York with the participation of the Secretary-General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon in 2015 and António Guterres in 2018.
“The Jewish New Year, which each year coincides with the opening session of the UN General Debate in New York, is a good time for retrospection and for taking stock of the shortcomings of the previous years before we enter a new year on a clean slate”, said ECI Director for UN affairs, Gregory Lafitte.
Thanks to an ECI initiative in 2014, the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, is now an official holiday of the UN, during which no official meetings can be held.
“Although the eyes of the nations are currently on the UNGA in New York our thoughts and prayers for a sweet new year, Shanah Tovah, go out to the Jewish community worldwide”, said ECI Founding Director Tomas Sandell.
Click here to follow the ECI Facebook live stream on Sunday at 10.00 Jerusalem time (UTC+3)