NEW YORK—United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wished the Jewish world “Shanah Tovah”- “A Happy New Year”- at an official Tashlich ceremony co-hosted by the Forum for Cultural Diplomacy (FCD) and the Israeli Permanent Mission to the UN on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and the opening of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Guterres, together with some 50 UN ambassadors and senior UN officials, took part in a Jewish Tashlich ceremony which included the tossing of bread into the East River, symbolizing the casting away of sins of the past year in order to start the new year on a clean slate.
Guterres wished a “year of peace and prosperity” to the Jewish people and the State of Israel and expressed hope that the “UN will be able to increase the trust it enjoys in the upcoming year.”
He acknowledged that the Taschlich event “provided an opportunity to reflect on the gains and setbacks of the past year and to consider how we can better serve the world’s people in the year ahead”.
In his speech, Israeli Permanent Representative to the UN, Danny Danon, noted that at the same time as the Jewish New Year, the UN is also beginning a new year. He also pointed out that “Tashlich is an opportunity for the UN to look inward and conduct some soul-searching. We hope the UN will participate in “cheshbon hanefesh”, an accounting of its actions of the previous year”.
By hosting the event, the organizers wanted to highlight the significant contributions of Jewish culture to the international community.
Eureopean Coalition for Israel (ECI) founding Director Tomas Sandell noted that every one of the 120 or so nations that now welcomes, or has in the past welcomed, a Jewish community within its nation has been enriched culturally and economically by their presence. “In a time and age when anti-Semitism is again on the rise, ´tolerance´ is simply not a sufficient antidote to this old deadly disease. We need to pro-actively express our appreciation of the Jewish culture as a resource and blessing for our nations.”
In an earlier speech at the UN last year, Guterres admitted that Portugal had stagnated economically and culturally after they deported the Jews in the 16th century, whereas the Netherlands, which then received them, became one of the leading economies and innovators of the 17th century.
This was the second time that the Forum for Cultural Diplomacy (an initiative of European Coalition for Israel within the UN) and the Israeli Permanent Mission to the UN have together co-hosted a Tashlich event at the UN.
In his closing remarks Ambassador Danon thanked the Secretary-General for participating in the event, and expressed his hope that the Tashlich ceremony would become an annual UN event in preparation for each new annual session of the General Assembly which each year starts at the time of the Jewish High Holidays.
The Jewish New Year began on Sunday evening September 9th, leading up to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the holiest day in the Jewish calendar on September 19th. The 73rd session of the UN General Assembly will open on September 18th.