H.E. Miguel De Almeida e Souza, Portuguese Ambassador to Israel, hosted a warm and friendly reception to celebrate Portugal’s National Day on 10th June. (The date memorializes one of Portugal’s greatest poets and writers, Don Luis de Camões.)
The reception at the Ambassador’s residence was graced by the presence of Shaul Mofaz, (then Deputy Prime Minister of Israel) and Orit Noket, Israel’s Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development. Also present was Adv. Miko Menahem, historian and researcher into the history of the Jews of the Iberian Peninsular; famed journalist Henry Zimmermann; and a sparkling selection of members of the Israel-Portugal Chamber of Commerce, Diplomats, Foreign Ministry staffers, and members of Israel’s business and commercial community.
In brief speeches to mark the occasion, mention was made of the warm diplomatic relations between the two countries. And how not? – also of the critical soccer matches that were the topic of conversation as the World Cup was being played out in Poland just then.