In a departure from years of tradition, there will be no open house at the President’s Residence during Sukkot this year. Instead, an invitation-only event for displaced youth, many of whom are currently in Jerusalem, will take place.
The event on the last day of the holiday is geared towards teenagers who were evacuated from communities in the North and is set to be headlined by youth building Israel’s tomorrow.
The meeting is part of President Isaac Herzog’s Exchanging a Word initiative, in which he hopes to change the nature of verbal exchanges between people of opposing views. Herzog is dismayed by the level to which Knesset members and public figures have sunk in their retorts and verbal assaults against people with whom they disagree.He believes, aside from setting a poor example for youth, the tone and the language used are simply unacceptable, and in such an atmosphere it is difficult to reach compromises for the benefit of the wider population.
He believes, aside from setting a poor example for youth, the tone and the language used are simply unacceptable, and in such an atmosphere it is difficult to reach compromises for the benefit of the wider population.
Also present at the event will be residents of youth villages from across the country, who will be joined by influencers, artists, and inspirational figures.
The young people will be encouraged to talk about the challenges that confronted them during this past year of turbulence, chaos, and uncertainty. They will also participate in discussions on how to reduce polarization and how to strengthen resilience and social cohesion.
Open house in past years
People from all over the nation have flocked to the president’s sukkah in the past to meet Israel’s No. 1 citizen and possibly get a photo with him.
When Herzog’s father, Chaim Herzog, was president, he stood in the sukkah and shook hands with every person passing through. The nature of the open house celebration changed with president Shimon Peres, whose team thought that at his advanced age, it would be much too tiring for him to stand for hours to meet and greet people.
Entertainment and games on the lawns outside the sukkah were increased and Peres came out every hour or so to deliver a brief welcome speech.
This practice was continued by Reuven Rivlin, who was around 15 years younger than Peres but also at an age where standing in one place for three or four hours was not in his best interests.
However, Rivlin made a point of walking through the entrance hall leading to the sukkah every hour and a half to come into close contact with the crowd and pose for selfies with his guests, especially toddlers and babies.
Herzog had a similar format in the early part of his presidency, but this year, given the security situation and the rifts in the nation before and during the past year, he decided to give young people the opportunity to have their say and to offer solutions to the controversies that are gripping the nation and pulling it apart.