On Monday, October 28, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Israel, Mr. Tomáš Pojar, held a reception at his beautiful residence in Herzliya, to celebrate the Czech Republic's 95th Anniversary (Creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918).
Many distinguished guests, including Minister of Strategic and International Affairs, Mr. Yuval Steinitz, came to congratulate the Ambassador and the embassy staff the on this special day.
The ceremony started with the national anthems of the Czech Republic and Israel, beautifully played by violinist Marie Matlova.
The Ambassador welcomed all the guests, and started by mentioning that Czechs say that deeds are more important than long speeches, and so, he would try to stick to it.
He said that a many good deeds took place in the Czech-Israeli relations in the last 12 months, and mentioned a few of them:
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The vote of the Czech Republic in the UN GeneralAssembly in November.
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Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu's third visit to Prague in three years.
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Czech President Miloš Zeman'svisit to Israel - his first trip outside of Central Europe after his recent election.
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The Days of Jerusalem in Prague, which followed the Days of Prague in Jerusalem.
He pointed out the steady continuation and strengthening of the Czech-Israeli mutual cooperation in several fields: culture, business, education, science, tourism…. And that we can always do more.
He reminded us of two people who have passed away in the last 24 hours, who were of great inspiration for the Czech struggle for our freedom in the 1980s: the rock musician, composer, guitar player, New Yorker of Jewish descent Lou Reed, and the representative of the Polish Solidarity movement and later Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowietzky. He said that the Czech people owe them a lot and should remember them.
He said that we shall also remember all Israelis of Czechoslovak origin who tirelessly worked for strengthening our relations, who were here with us last year, and are not with us anymore. He named Chanan Rosen, Norik Harel and Marta Marom, and said that we should not forget others, that we also owe a lot.
Mr. Yuval Steinitz greeted the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in name of the Government and People of Israel and conveyed their warm congratulations to the Czech Government and Czech People on the occasion of its 95th Anniversary, the Creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918.
He said that it is a special pleasure for him to greet the people of a country that is a close, loyal and strong friend of Israel. That we appreciate, cherish and attribute great importance to the close friendship between the two countries and peoples.
He mentioned the following facts:
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The last visit of Czech President Miloš Zemanto Israel, two weeks ago, was an additional expression of the close friendship between the two countries. President Zeman proved again that that this friendship withstands a serious test even when it is not popular to support Israel.
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Israel will never forget the toughest moments when the Czech Republic(then Czechoslovakia) stood by Israel since the first days of its establishment, provided us with weapons for our defense, and trained our pilots when the Arab armies invaded our land to destroy the newly born Jewish State.
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The relations between the two countries are not limited to military and political fields. Along with President Zeman's visit, a delegation of businessmen also visited Israel in order to increase furthermore the commerce relations between the countries. In the cultural field, we are proud of the department established this year in the Thomas Garryk Massaryk University in Brno. This, in addition to the long list of relations and cooperation in a wide variety of areas, which truly express the tight relationship between the two countries.
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Two days ago took place the elections in the Czech Parliament. Soon a new government will be established. We are sure that the close friendship between the two countries and the deepening dialog will continue regardless of the changes in the Czech and Israeli governments. The mutual friendship is deeply rooted.
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This ceremony is a good opportunity to express our appreciation to your personal contribution, Mr. Ambassador to the advancement and deepening of the Czech-Israeli relations. Your contribution has led these relations to new territories.
Other distinguished guests that took part in the ceremony were:
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Mr. Dan Propper, Chairman of OSEM Group, who received the Go4Europe Achievement Prize in the same morningof October 28.
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David Herdcy, Chairman of the Israel-Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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Shaul Lifshitz, CEO of the Israel-Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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Gidon Thaler,representative of leading airlines, such as Czech Airlines.
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Yaakov Levy, Ex-Ambassador of Israel to the Czech Republic.
Photo Silvia Golan
