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President Reuven Rivlin participated today, Wednesday 17 July , in an event in honor of Israel held by the Korean Protestant community in Seoul. The president was welcomed by a choir of children singing "Oseh Shalom B’Mromav / May He Who Makes Peace in the Highest” to the thunderous applause of thousands of members of the community.

“I come from Jerusalem and the Holy Land to bring you blessings of brotherhood and love,” began the president. “As President of the State of Israel, the land of the Bible and the homeland of the Jewish People, as a proud Jerusalemite whose family has lived in Jerusalem for seven generations, I want to thank you for praying for the peace of Jerusalem.”

The President told the congregation about the "Land of the Monasteries" project, which he has been promoting in recent years to develop the monasteries in the Jordan Valley and said: “There is one other unique site, that is especially dear to me. A truly special site that we have recently developed and that I want to invite you to visit - The Land of Monasteries. This site includes the spot on the Jordan River where according to Christian tradition Jesus was baptized. It is a religious site, and also a living example for a unique regional and Jewish-Christian-Muslim inter-religious cooperation. Think of this: today, all believers can travel in safety, from Jerusalem to the Jordan River and from there to Nazareth and truly walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Dear friends, I look forward to working together, to build more and more bridges between the State of Israel and the Republic of Korea and between the Jewish People and the Korean People.”

The president will end his visit to South Korea tomorrow at a festive ceremony in which he will be awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Seoul. After that, the president will make his way to Israel where he will land on Thursday night.

Attached photo credit: Kobi Gideon (GPO)