President Reuven Rivlin sent a letter on Thursday to the chairman of the Agudath Israel of America, Rabbi Shlomo Werdiger, to congratulate the participants of the "Siyum HaShas," the completion of the study of the entire Talmud by learning one full page every day for seven-and-a-half years.
The celebration took place on Wednesday at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey and was attended by over 92,000 Jews.
"Allow me to send you my warmest congratulations from the holy city of Jerusalem to all the participants in the many Daf Yomi [daily folio] classes as you celebrate the Siyum HaShas of the current Daf Yomi cycle that was first initiated so many years ago by Rabbi Meir of Lublin, at the Knessiah Gedolah [Great Assembly] of Agudath Israel in Vienna," Rivlin wrote.
"This initiative of Rabbi Meir of Lublin produced a most impressive project of Torah learning throughout the Jewish world that has embraced hundreds of thousands of Jews, all committed to regular and joint study of the greatest spiritual treasures of our tradition."
Rivlin also addressed the many recent anti-Semitic attacks on Jews in the US: "Sadly, we have recently been seeing and experiencing a rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues and individual Jews throughout the world and particularly in the United States."
"I want to assure you that the State of Israel is committed to efforts to combat anti-Semitism wherever it arises and to support communal efforts to safeguard Jewish life and the Jewish spirit everywhere," Rivlin concluded.