The main event of Diaspora Week was held at the International Convention Center ( Sunday night. The event included performances by Noa Tishbi (who also hosted the event), Anya Bukstein, Ester Rada, Idan Yaniv, Hatikva 6, Avraham De Carvalho and Michel Citrin.
During the event, Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai, spoke, and greetings were given by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Israel's President, Isaac Herzog.
Organizers said that the event was a tribute to the special connection between Israel and Diaspora Jewry, expressing the importance that the State of Israel places in the Diaspora.
It included an expression of concern for the well-being of Ukraine in general, and the Jews of Ukraine specifically.
"I am happy to be here at the main tribute event for Diaspora Jews as part of Diaspora Week. This is the main event that elevates Jewish peoplehood and mutual guarantees between the State of Israel and Diaspora Jewry," said Shai.
Shai also referred to the activities of his office in Ukraine, referring to “weeks of intensive activity by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs staff opposite Jewish communities and organizations in Ukraine. In the second week of the war, I went to Poland to learn more about the needs of the Jewish communities in Ukraine and neighboring countries and to accompany the humanitarian activities carried out by the State of Israel through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nativ, the Jewish Agency, the JDC, and others."
Shai also referred to the connection between Israel and Diaspora Jewry and said: "For many Israelis, the claim that there is a special relationship and mutual strategic commitment between the State of Israel and Diaspora Jewry is not an obvious one. For many years, the relationship between the State of Israel and Zionism was a zero-sum game. The value of negating the Diaspora was central to Zionist thought."
"The predominant perception was that either one lives in exile or one is a Zionist – one cannot be both. Despite this, when the State of Israel was established, The Yishuv in Israel realized that its natural allies were Diaspora Jews. Thus, in the Declaration of Independence, the drafters and signatories of the Declaration turned to Diaspora Jewry and asked them "to rally around the Jewish residents of the land of Israel, in aliyah and in building, standing with us in the great campaign to realize the aspirations of generations, for the redemption of Israel." Diaspora Jewry warmly embraced our outstretched hand and mobilized at the side of the State of Israel," Diaspora Affairs Minister Shai added