Official presentation of Casa Sefarad-Israel
Madrid, 7 February 2007. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation officially presented Casa Sefarad-Israel on 8th February, in a ceremony held at Santa Cruz Palace. The President of the Autonomous Administration of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, and the Mayor of the capital, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, accompanied the Minister.
Picture of the presentation at the Santa Cruz Palace
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also spoke at the ceremony, as the special guest of her Spanish counterpart, Miguel Angel Moratinos, honouring with her presence this event presenting the new institution Casa Sefarad-Israel.
Other guests included leading figures from Spanish public life and from Spain's Jewish community and organisations, as well as Jewish leaders from Mexico, Uruguay, France, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, and Israel.
Casa Sefarad-Israel is an institutional consortium created on 18 December 2006, through an agreement signed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation and the Spanish International Co-operation Agency (AECI), Madrid's Autonomous Administration, and the City of Madrid. This institution will be headed by Ana Sálomon, Director-General of Casa Sefarad-Israel and Special Envoy for Relations with the Jewish Community and Organisations.
The birth of Casa Sefarad-Israel fulfils a commitment made by Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation to create an institution pursuing the following goals: promoting further study of the legacy of Sephardic culture as a living, integral aspect of Spanish cultural life; fostering greater understanding of Jewish culture; and advancing the development of ties of friendship and co-operation between Spanish society and Israeli society.
Moreover, Casa Sefarad-Israel aims to serve as a common ground, a meeting place, for Jewish communities and organisations from Spain and around the globe. This common space for Jews, Israelis, and Spaniards will enable them to disseminate the rich Sephardic historical legacy, along with the political, economic, social, and cultural situation of Jewish communities in the world today, as well as of Israel and Spain.
Casa Sefarad-Israel aspires to become a public diplomacy instrument, enabling the Jewish community and its organisations to co-operate with institutions, civil society, and the private sector, cultivating a concerted approach to their different contributions, and providing them with a strategic orientation.
Casa Sefarad-Israel will be based in Madrid.