World Jewish News

'Spain for us is one country and His Majesty the King is the symbol of that unity'

“Spain for us is one country, and His Majesty the King is the symbol of that unity. All of the citizens of Spain are dear to us and we hope and pray that all conflicts will be solved by peaceful measures, ” said Israeli Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in a reference to the Catalonia crisis.

He was addressing Monday evening a state dinner at the Royal Palace in Madrid where he and his wife were guests of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.

Rivlin is on a 4-day state visit to Spain to mark both 30 years of diplomatic relations between the countries and 100 years since the reestablishment of the Jewish community in Spain, more than 400 years after Spanish Jewry was expelled in 1492.

In a speech welcoming the Israeli president on Sunday, the leader to the Federation of Jewish communities in Spain, David Hatchwell, called on Israel to support Spanish unity in the wake of the Catalonian secession that has caused a constitutional crisis in the country.

Hatchwell said that even though Spain has not always been friendly to Israel in international forums, Spaniards want to know that Israel supports the unity of their country and recognizes the legitimacy of its constitution which guarantees unity.

In his address at the state dinner, President Rivlin said: “The map of memory burned inside me was always Israeli, Jerusalemite, and Spanish at the same time. And I am not unique in this way. Spain represents roots, Spain is both a beloved and painful memory. To visit here, is like a visit home.’’

He continued: ‘Spain is not nostalgia but a home, a place where it should not need to be said that Jews should feel at home. Spain is a cornerstone of our identity and precisely because of this it is forbidden for Spain to represent only the past, heritage, and nostalgia. The alliance between Israel and Spain must be an alliance of the present, an alliance of the future.”

King Felipe began his address by wishing the President and his delegation ‘welcome’ in Hebrew. He went on to say, “The tradition that binds us to each other is greater than us in its depth and meaning. This is the legacy of the Jews of Spain, which represents the Golden Age of Jewish culture, a culture that has been preserved for hundreds of years in the language and customs of so many Sephardic Jews throughout the world.’’

‘’Our democratic Spain, founded on a heritage of cultural diversity, is today returning to its historical ties with the Jewish people. In this regard, we will never forget the festive ceremony at the Royal Palace in which we stand today, two years ago, on the occasion of the approval of the law granting Spanish citizenship to Jews of Spanish origin, and the renewed historical meeting that resulted from it. As I said then, ‘how I missed you’, the Jewish-Spanish people, the Jewish people our friends.’’

The King also stressed the position of Spain at the forefront of the fight against anti-Semitism. He cited public diplomacy initiatives such as the Spain-Israel Center, important political achievements such as ‘Holocaust Remembrance and the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity Day’ marked annually and the emphasis of education about Jewish issues, and legislative achievements such as the legal definition of hate crime.

He concluded his address by saying: ‘’Mr. President, we know that great aspirations are accompanied by great challenges. We recognize Israel's legitimate aspirations for peace and security, and hope that your country will live in harmony with its neighbors and develop its ties with the European Union. Israel will find in Spain a partner, an ally, a faithful and committed friend.”

EJP