On 3^rd of May, H. E. Mr. Yoram Elron, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to the Republic of Bulgaria,

gave a reception in the Opera ballroom of the Astoria Grand Hotel on the occasion of the country’s national holiday. He was respected by ministers, deputies, businesspersons, cultural figures, numerous representatives of the Jewish diaspora in our country, friends.

The event began with the anthems of Israel and Bulgaria, after which H. E. Mr. Yoram Elron gave emotional and impromptu words of welcome to the guests. He said he was glad to see so many friends of Israel at the celebration, which made the evening very special, and emphasized:

"Israel is a young country – only 75 years, but its history is 3000 years old" and added further "As a diplomat of Israel in Bulgaria I have the honor and at the same time the humility to be here, because Israel is a success story. We have been coping and fighting everything we have faced since 1948. We have succeeded in creating our independent sovereign state as truly vibrant democracy, sometimes too vibrant. In the beginning we were almost 800,000 people, now we are almost 10 million. We have succeeded in reviving Hebrew as a language, so that it has its own country and is being spoken." He outlined some of the Israeli accomplishments for these 75 years of independence: "Israel is the country of innovations and technologies. But we also have many Nobel laureates, we won Eurovision 4 times. We are in 4^th place according to the World happiness index, which is a very good place. And despite all the obstacles and problems we face, we laugh a lot. We live thanks to our sense of humor."

"For all these reasons and many more, I am proud to be Israeli. I am also proud of the relations between Bulgaria and Israel. They are built on a common interest, but also on a very strong friendship. We Israeli are grateful to the Bulgarian people and the Bulgaria state for saving the Jews during the Second World War. Many of them immigrated to Israel afterwards and were successful in Israeli society. They are actually building the living bridge between our countries." 

After the speech of His Excellency, Mr. Yoram Elron , the mood of the guests was lifted by the cheerful performances of the dance group from 134 Dimcho Debelyanov – ORT School, led by Mrs. Ilona Bidjerano.

And the big surprise and the climax of the evening were the exciting musical performances of the Israeli singer Narya Hovav and the music producer Moshe Danino.

The reception took place in an extremely warm and friendly atmosphere, which was achieved not only by the hospitality and smiles of the team of the Israeli Embassy, but also by the elegance and finesse of the service and of every detail of the evening. The guests were impressed by the unique cake for the 75^th anniversary of the State of Israel, by the wonderful wines, by the beautiful photos of the country projected in the hall. Some had fun with the photo robot located at the one end and took their own souvenir photos. Everyone left with the feeling that there can be understanding and warmth in relationship between people, as well as with a gift to remember the anniversary.

And the hosts thanked all the guests who responded to their appeal to donate school supplies instead of flowers for the holiday, which they would hand over to the "For Our Children" foundation, thereby supporting its cause and contributing to more smiles on children’s faces.

Photos: Embassy of the State of Israel to the Republic of Bulgaria

Above: H. E. Mr. Yoram Elron, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to the Republic of Bulgaria