Israel's deputy foreign minister, Idan Roll, hosted young Jews from around the world in his sukkah on Sunday.
Among the guests were volunteers and English teachers from the international Masa program, who will be celebrating Sukkot in Israel for the first time in their lives. These young people arrived in the last month from Italy, Australia, India, Bolivia, England and the US.
The guests shared their experiences of being Jews living abroad and the way it affects their lives.
Ze'ev Gittelson from Australia spoke about his decision to join Masa after Operation Guardian of the Walls made him want to spread the message of Israel's legitimacy around the world.
Hannah Hart from Cleveland described how the Jews in her hometown feel the need to hide their Judaism to feel safe, while Alex Sandler from Birmingham talked about being the only Jew in his neighborhood. He added that his friends are political activists, which has led to him experiencing many antisemitic incidents.
"We are one family - the Diaspora family," said Roll at the end of the visit. "As someone who is responsible for Israel's image in the world, I have began to sit around the table with many communities. Jewish and non-Jews, in order to talk about Israel's image – and as far as I'm concerned, you're one of those communities.
"It's very important for the Foreign Ministry to be part of the community, and we want to see how you can be part of the community," he said. "Like the four species [waved during Sukkot] – where each one has a meaning, and they cannot stand alone – so too, the Jewish community is not complete without the Diaspora Jews."