On 24th of January, from 19.00, the Embassy of Romania invites you to follow our online event:
„80 years since the Pogrom of Bucharest. Commemoration through the work of Marcel Janco (Iancu)”
On 21-23 January 1941, Bucharest was the scene of one of the darkest chapters of the Holocaust in Romania. In those tragic days, the Iron Guard fascist movement massacred 123 Jews and devastated over 1000 Jewish properties (synagogues, apartments, shops).
Acknowledging the past and Holocaust remembrance remain priorities for Romania. Acting constantly to ensure respect, tolerance and diversity is a permanent responsibility.
The Embassy of Romania to the State of Israel proposes a journey into history through the work of Israeli artist of Romanian origin Marcel Janco (Iancu). One of the most remarkable Jewish intellectuals of his generation, he witnessed the Pogrom of Bucharest and expressed the trauma he experienced and other Holocaust events in ghastly drawings.
The event includes welcoming remarks by Prof. Ido Bruno, Director of Israel Museum, presentations of the historical events of the Pogrom of Bucharest by H.E. Ambassador Radu Ioanid, personal recollections on how this tragedy impacted the life of Marcel Janco by a family member (Mrs. Michaela Mende-Janco), as well as lectures about the role of Marcel Janco in Israeli art by Dr. Amitai Mendelsohn, Senior curator for Israeli art, Israel Museum and about Marcel Janco as a Jewish and Zionist artist by Dr. Vlad Solomon, freelance journalist, researcher and writer.
The conference is in English and is organized in partnership with Israel Museum and the Romanian Cultural Institute Tel Aviv.
Follow the event on Facebook on the following pages:
Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, in which we remember the salvation of the Jewish People at the mercy of the elements in Sinai and our 40-year journey from Egypt to the Land of Israel, is called, too, HeHag[1], The Festival, emphasizing its especially joyful and festive character. We are specifically commanded by the Divine to delight in this Festival. God unequivocally tells us, "Ve'Samach'ta be'Chage'cha" - "And you shall rejoice in your festival"[2], a mitzvah as important as constructing the Succah[3] (the hut commemorating this festival) or Arba'at Haminim[4] - the Four Species we carry in the week of Sukkot.
While being joyful is an essential pillar of this festival, how can we explain the inclusion since medieval times[5] of reading Megillat Kohelet (the book of Ecclesiastes[6]) in Sukkot by countless Communities? - Kohelet, one of the 5 books of the Bible, along with the first part of the Book of Job, which expresses the most pessimistic view of the purpose of human existence.
Out Sages ascribe Kohelet to the pen of King Solomon in his old age. It is totally different from the rest of the Tanach, and questions some of the conceptual foundations on which a large part of the Bible rests. This is possible because it is one of The Writings, the third part of the Bible: if The Torah is the direct revelation of God to the People of Israel and, through us, to all Humankind; and if The Books of Prophets bring the revelation of God through His Chosen Leaders on topical issues of their time (except the theme of Messianic redemption, which pertains to the future), The Writings go in the opposite direction, when Man, from his particular circumstances, speaks to God. So the Psalms, Proverbs ... and Kohelet (the King of Jerusalem who says: "Vanity of vanities: all is vanity"[7]) express different human existential realities and circumstances, according to the author of each work.
So, of all the various human expressions embodied in the Bible, why is the Festival of Joy an occasion to read a book that expresses weariness, boredom, and despair?
To the traditional answers to this question, I venture to add two further possible directions: Kohelet, King of Jerusalem, was a man who enjoyed everything that we see today as success: wealth, power and surrounded by beauty. However, he comes to see all this as worthless vanity, symptoms of wrong emphases in his own life, of an unbalance between what he achieved and the really important things he postponed. The Post-Talmudic Tractate of Sofrim introduced the Book of Kohelet into our Festival of maximum Joy perhaps to remind us of the reasons why we need to celebrate again and again, reasons we often forget or take for granted: our good health; love, companionship and communication with our family and friends; the opportunity to earn our livelihood through work; life in a Jewish Community based on mutual support and shared values we hold dear; involvement in activities like Maccabi that stimulate us and become part of who we are; the ethical bases that sustain us - our Torah; our gloriously flourishing national life, the State of Israel.
On the other hand, perhaps we are commanded to read about Kohelet's despair, skepticism and confusion on our Festival of Joy do that we shall be reminded that pain, disappointment, and downfall are integral features of life and that despite this, we are able to enjoy all that is good in our lives, the good never disappears, even in our darkest, hardest and distressful moments. That's life: a combination of the really important things which elevate and make our lives sublime and happy, and everything else, those things that reduce and devalue our lives to "vanity of vanities."
May God grant us the opportunity to celebrate the profound bliss of another joyful Succot, full of song and dance, with our families and communities.
May God give us the wisdom to differentiate the real reasons for our joy from the vain, futile, and transient things devoid of genuine value, things so often confused in our World as marks of true success.
And may God enlighten us to always find light in the darkness, sense in the void, and joy in the challenges which life presents to us.
With best wishes, Chag Succot Sameach! Chazak ve'ematz!
RABBI CARLOS TAPIERO Deputy Director-General & Director of Education
[1]Vayk. XXIII, 39, 41; Bamid. XXIX, 12; Dev. XVI, 14; I Mel. VIII, 2; Yechez. XXXXv, 25; Nech. VIII, 18. [2]Devarim (Deuteronomy) XVI, 15. [3]Vaikrah (Leviticus) XXIII, 42. [4]The four species we shake during Succot: LULAV - palm frond, ETROG - Citron, HADAS - Myrtle & ARAVA -- Willow. "And you shall take for yourselves on the First Day the fruit of a beautiful tree, the branches of date palms, branches of the myrtle tree, and branches of the willow tree, and you shall rejoice before Hashem, your G-d, for Seven Days." (Vayikra 23:40). See also Mishnah Succah III, 4. [5]"This custom is not obligatory since it has no Talmudic basis and even the obligation mentioned in the post-Talmudic Tractate of Soferim is doubtful. Indeed, this custom was never adopted by most Sephardic and Middle Eastern Jewish communities." Excellent article of Prof. Rav David Golinkin in http://www.schechter.edu/responsa.aspx?ID=18 [6]Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) is one of the five Megillot (scrolls) read in the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, the 9th of Av and Purim: Esther on Purim; Eikhah (Lamentations) on Tisha Be'av ; Shir Hashirim (The Song of the Songs) on Pesach, and Ruth on Shavuot. [7]Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), I, 2.
Maccabi World Union, 7 Peretz Berenstein, Ramat Gan, 52105 Israel
In honor of the New Year, President Peres hosted a reception at his residence in Jerusalem for the heads of the Christian denominations in Israel
"The State of Israel will not tolerate aggression against members of the clergy. I feel angry at the insults some religious leaders in Israel have faced recently"
His Beatitude Theophilos III:
"We commend the police authorities and the security forces for their hard and responsible work. However, in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of bitter experience, there is more that can be done, both to facilitate access to the Holy Places for pilgrims from a distance as well as from our local communities."
In honor of the New Year the President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, hosted a reception at his residence in Jerusalem for the heads of the Christian denominations in Israel. President Peres delivered remarks at the reception and condemned recent price tag attacks against holy sites, he stressed that Israel will not tolerate attacks on holy sites, "The State of Israel will not tolerate aggression against members of the clergy. I feel angry at the insults some religious leaders in Israel have faced recently. Israel has always been and will always remain committed to freedom of worship, freedom of religion. We will continue to guarantee access to holy sites for all. My prayers for the coming year are that harmony and coexistence reign in this Holy City, as an example and an inspiration for the togetherness of faiths across the world. Wherever intolerance appears we will continue to take firm action against it. There is no place for violence in our society, even more so when it targets people or places of faith."
President Peres stressed that international must act against extremist terror organizations and condemned the recent attacks in Russia, "We must stand united against the dark movements of fanaticism across the world. In the past two days, in Russia, too many innocent victims were killed by acts of madness. I speak for all of us present today when I say that our thoughts are with the families of the victims and our prayers go out to the full and speedy recovery of the wounded."
President Peres continued and added that peace is at the top of Israel's agenda, "Our peace talks with the Palestinians are ongoing; they are the greatest promise for our people and for the Palestinians. There is no solution other than two states for two peoples. An agreement between us can bring a change in the relations between Jews and Muslims and between all faiths. It is time for us and the Palestinians to move away from the language of enemies and opponents and embrace a dialogue of friendship and cooperation."
President Peres ended by delivering a greeting to the world for the new year and said, "There is more that united than divides us. We look forward with optimism. This house is your house and its doors are always open before you. I turn to you, as faith leaders, as community leaders, as people of peace and ask that you build bridges of understanding and paths of peace. This year is looking forward to the visit of Pope Francis, He is an outstanding example of a new spirit towards faith of prayer. He kept the old values but brought a new spirit of hope, of tolerance and of love. . On the eve of the New Year, I wish you all a year of peace, a year of hope."
The Minister of the Interior, Gideon Sa'ar, spoke and said, "We are committed and we remain committed and we will continue to ensure freedom of religion and religious practice in Israel for all religious denominations and groups. The Ministry of the Interior, under my leadership, attributes great importance to the relationship between the churches and all Israel's government institutions. We are pleased to allow free entry to all people who wish to pray at the holy sites. This weekend we all watched a TV report that described attacks on Christian clergy and holy sites here in Israel, we will deal with this type of crime with a strong response. I condemned this phenomenon immediately. The Israeli government will not stand for any attacks on the holy sites and against the followers of any religion anywhere in this country. The gangs responsible for price tag attacks at these holy sites that offended religious clergy and followers do not represent the Jewish people and its values. I hope these criminals will be apprehended and brought to justice."
His Beatitude Theophilos III also address the invited guests on behalf of the Christian leaders and said, "We take this opportunity to express our appreciation in particular to you, Mr. President for the determined and strong voice that you have been raising in condemning the wave of "Price Tag" crimes in our country, and especially in Jerusalem. In our capacity as the Heads of the Church communities we understand all too well the complexities of managing large numbers of people and we commend the police authorities and the security forces for their hard and responsible work. However, in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of bitter experience, there is more that can be done, both to facilitate access to the Holy Places for pilgrims from a distance as well as from our local communities."
President Peres addressed the importance of investing resources in the Negev and the Galilee:
"We should change the national priorities and invest resources in the Negev and the Galilee – in higher education, in infrastructure and in hi-tech centers"
The President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, opened the seventh Galilee conference today (Tuesday) which is taking place in Tiberius with an on-stage interview which addressed the major issues of the day. President Peres discussed the peace negotiations with the Palestinians and said, "Israel's greatest strategic strength is peace. If there will be peace we will find budgets we didn't think we had. Israel is facing a new reality that includes within it new opportunities. Both the European Union and the Arab League are putting forward proposals to us which only a few years we couldn't have even dreamt of. They used to say that peace with Egypt and Jordan was impossible, and today we understand how important those peace deals are. I believe that Israel is facing new opportunities and I hope that some of us can throw out our preconceptions. Everyone knows that to achieve peace we will have to give up territory. There is no argument about that. If the government decided not to create new settlements then we should stand by that decision."
President Peres also addressed the importance of the development of the Negev and the Galilee and urged a greater resource allocation, "We should change the national priorities and invest resources in the Negev and the Galilee – in higher education, in infrastructure and in hi-tech centers. We should prioritize the Negev and the Galilee. We developed the medical field in Safed with an aim to expand it further in the future. There should be a university in the Galilee. I'm pleased to see the development in the Arab sector. The Hi-tech park in Nazareth, in which Jews and Arabs work together, changed the face of the city. An agreement was signed at the President's Residence with the University of Texas which will set up a satellite campus in Nazareth. The galilee has things which no other part of our country does. The government has a great vision for its development and it should be carried out as soon as possible."
The conference was also attended by Prime Minister Netanyahu, Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee Silvan Shalom, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, the Mayor of Tiberius Yosef Ben David and other distinguished guests.
The Jerusalem Municipality wishes all its Christian residents and visitors Season's Greetings
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat would like to extend his warmest greetings to Jerusalem's Christian residents on the occasion of the Christmas holiday.
December 25, 2013 - Mayor Barkat would like to wish a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of Jerusalem's Christians denominations.
As the home of the three Abrahamic traditions, Jerusalem is dear to over 3.5 billion people of varying faiths around the world. Our city is proud to be an open city, with freedom of religion for all residents.
Mayor Barkat looks forward to his annual tradition of visiting Christian leaders from Jerusalem's diverse Christian community and to personally wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
On behalf of the residents of Jerusalem, Mayor Nir Barkat would like to wish all residents and visitors much health, happiness and success during this holiday season.
