President Reuven Rivlin arrived this morning at the sukkah of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi David Lau at his home in Modi’in. The president was accompanied by his staff.
During his visit, President Rivlin spoke with the Chief Rabbi about the UNESCO decision which denied the Jewish connection to Jerusalem’s holy sites.
He said that “this decision is political and shows lack of recognition of the existence of Zionism.”
The Chief Rabbi responded that “UNESCO is an organization that is supposed to deal with education and culture, but it has made a decision that has proven that it isn’t educated and has no grasp of culture, but the prayer we say each day - 'Unto Jerusalem, Your city, in mercy may You return' - is mightier than any decision UNESCO can make.”
The president also visited the Sukkah of the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, in the Sanhedria Murchevet neighborhood of Jerusalem.
During his visit with the Rabbi, President Rivlin mentioned the Rabbi’s statement about the current genocide in Syria, where he referred to the situation in Syria as a “small holocaust”.
President Rivlin said he has received many reactions to that statement, and said that it is important that a spiritual leader spoke up about the issue. Rabbi Yosef responded that he felt it was important to speak about these issues and bring them to the attention of the public since history has shown that Jews have suffered from the world's silence. “Our silence about this issue is unacceptable,” the Rabbi said.
Rabbi Yosef presented the President with his latest halakhic guidebook outlining the Jewish laws pertaining to the four plant species used on Sukkot and to Simchat Torah. The president mentioned that, last year, he received a book in the same series that outlined laws of Sukkot, and that he hopes to finish this book by next year.