Welcome Message from the Ambassador

Shalom, Fáilte romhat, 

I am delighted to welcome you to the website of the Embassy of Ireland in Israel. The primary aim of the website is to present information on the services provided by the Embassy. In addition, I hope that it will give you the opportunity to have an insight into Ireland and the Irish people – our history, economy, society and culture.

The website also seeks to capture a little of what might be termed “Ireland in Israel”.  While, the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv opened in May 1996, our links go back much further. Rabbi Isaac Herzog was Chief Rabbi of Ireland before he came to Israel to become Chief Rabbi here. As in Israel, he was an important and influential figure in the early days of the newly independent Irish State. His son, Chaim Herzog, the sixth President of Israel, was born and grew up in Ireland. The Herzog family is one of the many Israeli families with links to Ireland. These families continue to make a unique contribution to Israel across a variety of fields and in different segments of society.

Ireland is keen to deepen its links with Israel, in particular through growth in tourism, commerce and investment, as well as more traditional sectors such as food and drink. I encourage visitors to our website to visit the websites of the tourism, culture, food and business promotion agencies working for the Irish Government, which can be accessed on this webpage. Ireland welcomes your interest and looks forward to supporting your interest in these sectors.

I am very conscious of the popularity of Irish culture in Israel today.  It is exciting to see Israeli musicians participating in traditional Irish music “sessions” and bringing out their own CD’s. Israeli dancers are also taking to the stage in increasing numbers to learn and perform Irish dance.  At the Embassy, we will continue to do all we can to support these and other expressions of Irish culture in Israel.

We have tried to design the site so that it is both informative and user-friendly.  If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the Embassy.

With every good wish,      

Breifne O'Reilly
Ambassador

 ________________________________________

St Patricks Day greetings from the President Michael D. Higgins

________________________________________