President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, participated in a roundtable meeting with senior officials from the Hispanic community in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 25, 2017. The meeting was attended by members of the NALEO, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, founded in 1976, an organization of about six thousand US elected and government from the Latin and Hispanic community.
President Rivlin spoke with the group about his State Visit to Spain the week earlier, and of his meeting with King Felipe VI. He told them, “I invited the King to visit Jerusalem for the 20th World Congress of the International Association of Hispanics, which will take place in July 2019. It will be a great honor for us to host this special event in Jerusalem, the city of the three religions, and it highlights the importance of Hispanic culture to Jews, Muslims and Christians. For the Jews, Spain is not only a place, it is an idea.”
He continued, “Our communities have much to share and much to learn from each other. Our two communities face the challenge of preserving our cultural identity, together with being a part of the society around us. We do this through community values, and through education.”
The President spoke of the importance of the Hispanic community, noting the central role it played in the USA’s economy and culture. “You are the future leaders of America, and a shining example of the values we share: equality and democracy,” the President said.