UN to 'throw away its sins' at first ever Tashlich ceremony
The Permanent Mission of Israel will be hosting the event in partnership with the Forum for Cultural Diplomacy.
By DANIELLE ZIRIUpdated: SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 06:47Ron Prosor, then Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, speaks to the media outside the Security Council chambers July 20, 2014(photo credit: AFP / STAN HONDA)
NEW YORK – UN ambassadors and officials from at least seven different countries will attend the first ever Jewish ceremony of Tashlich held at the UN on Monday.The Permanent Mission of Israel will be hosting the event in partnership with the Forum for Cultural Diplomacy.Among the expected attendees are representatives of countries such as the US, Australia, Canada, France, Grenada, Tanzania and Sierra Leone.The ritual consists of throwing away the wrongdoings of the previous year into water, symbolically letting go of the burdens of the past in order to start the year with a clean slate.Monday’s ceremony will be held on the bank of the East River and will be conducted by Senior Rabbi Arthur Schneier of New York City’s Park East Synagogue. Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor is expected to make opening remarks at the event.The initiative is very important for the Israeli mission, as it is part of Israel’s ongoing campaign to gain UN recognition of Yom Kippur as an official holiday at the United Nations. Last year, a step towards this had already been made as the 69th General Assembly recognized the importance of the holiday as the holiest day of the Jewish year.“The Jewish New Year coinciding with a new year at the UN, is a chance for this institution to leave behind last year’s conflicts, cast off the wrongdoings of the past, and start the 70th session of the General Assembly with a clean slate,” Prosor said in a statement.The ambassador added that he appreciates the UN finally recognizing the importance of Yom Kippur.