On Wednesday, January 28, 2015, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. hosted a gathering of Latino and Jewish leaders from across the tri-state area with the President of the State of Israel, H.E. Mr. Reuven Rivlin, at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. The event was designed to foster greater strength between the Latino and Jewish communities, both here and abroad. At the event, Borough President Diaz presented President Rivlin with the official “Bronx Afghan” and named him an honorary Bronxite.

Today, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. hosted a dialogue with the President of the State of Israel, H.E. Mr. Reuven Rivlin and the Consul General of Israel in New York, Ambassador Ido Aharoni, at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. The event was designed to foster stronger ties between the Latino and Jewish communities, both in the United States and abroad.

The meeting comes on the heels of Borough President Diaz’s recent visit to Israel, hosted in conjunction with the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, which saw the borough president lead a delegation of Latino business and civic leaders from across the tri-state area on meetings with Israeli political leaders and tours of religious, historic and tactical sites.

“I am honored to welcome Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, as well as Latino and Jewish leaders from all over the city and the tri-state area, to The Bronx to kick off this important conversation, which builds on my recent trip to Israel with a citywide delegation of Latino leaders. The Latino and Jewish communities of this city have demonstrated a deep commitment to one another for decades, and this event will help strengthen and expand on those connections,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

“The Latinos in The Bronx are going to become the majority, not as Latinos but as Americans. And we would like that both friends, American and Israeli, be together because we symbolized the way of how to fulfill and act according to the rules of democrats,” said the President of the State of Israel, H.E. Mr. Reuven Rivlin, at the event.

Borough President Diaz and President Rivlin discussed the Jewish history of The Bronx, the roots of the state of Israel, Israel’s role in the fight against terrorism, ways the bond between Latino and Jewish communities can be built even stronger and the important of strengthening the ties between the Jewish and Hispanic community.