Israel to seek UN recognition of Yom Kippur as holiday
Yom Kippur should be an official U.N. day off, just like Christmas and Eid al-Fitr, says Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor • U.N. recognizes 10 holidays, none of them Jewish • Campaign launched with aim of winning General Assembly vote.

Shlomo Cesana
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/today.php?id=1275 \t _blank May 15, 2014
Israel Hayom
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=17537 \t _blank http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=17537


As Israel reached the 65th anniversary of joining the United Nations, it launched a campaign to have Yom Kippur recognized as an official holiday on the U.N. calendar.
The U.N. officially recognizes 10 holidays, including Christmas and Eid al-Fitr. Absent from the official holidays, though, is a Jewish one. A holiday at the U.N. entails a day without meetings, committee hearings or official events. Several among Israel's delegation to the U.N. have complained that being compelled to show up to work on Yom Kippur is troublesome.
The U.N. General Assembly convenes annually in September. On years in which such meetings have conflicted with Yom Kippur, a request has been submitted and the assembly has been postponed to allow the Israeli prime minister to participate.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor has distributed a letter among U.N. ambassadors as a first step in a comprehensive campaign to highlight Israel's request, paving the way to bring it for a General Assembly vote.
Officials at the U.N said that no one had dealt with the Yom Kippur issue, while other organized religions were recognized on the official U.N. calendar. The Israeli delegation responded that the request to make Yom Kippur an official holiday was a minor one, similar to Israel's successful campaign in 2005 for the U.N. to establish International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In the letter, Prosor wrote that Jews have been observing Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, for thousands of years, and on that day Jews worldwide abstain from working and spend their time in prayer and reflection.
On Wednesday, Prosor said the time had come for Jewish employees at the U.N. not to have to work on Yom Kippur. He said that while on one hand, the U.N. promotes the shared values of all its members, on the other hand it practices a preference of certain religions over others. There are three monotheistic religions, but just two of them appear on the U.N. calendar, Prosor said, adding that such discrimination must come to an end.