During the visit of the Minister of Communications, Dr. Shlomo Karai, to an international book fair in Saudi Arabia, he read from a Torah scroll that dates back approximately 500 years. He specifically read the Torah portion for the holiday of Sukkot, during which the Torah scroll was displayed at the fair. He read the verse:
״בחמישה עשר יום לחודש השביעי הזה חג הסוכות שבעת ימים לה'"
The Torah reading took place a day after the minister presented the Four Species during the prayer held in an improvised synagogue at a hotel in the capital of the kingdom.
In the statement issued by Minister Karhi:
״וְכַוִּין פְּתִיחָן לֵהּ בְּעִלִּיתֵהּ נֶגֶד יְרוּשְׁלֶם וְזִמְנִין תְּלָתָה בְיוֹמָא הוּא בָּרֵךְ עַל בִּרְכוֹהִי וּמְצַלֵּא וּמוֹדֵא קֳדָם אֱלָהֵהּ״ (דניאל ו יא)
"The windows were open in Daniel's house facing Jerusalem for prayer. Here in Riyadh, too, we had the opportunity to pray with windows open towards Jerusalem. Happy holiday."
Before Karhi, Minister Katz visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Two days ago, the Minister of Communications arrived in Riyadh, leading the first official Israeli delegation to visit the country. The delegation consists of 14 members, including the Chairman of the Economic Committee, David Bitan, the Director-General and Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Communications, the Minister's Chief of Staff and Spokesperson, the Head of Foreign Relations, representatives from the Postal Service, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Last week, Minister Haim Katz visited the Kingdom. As part of his visit to Riyadh, the minister met with leaders from several countries worldwide, including those with whom Israel does not have official relations. Katz summarized his visit by saying, "We made a crack in the wall. Over the past year, I have worked to upgrade Israel's status in the UN's tourism organization, and it has become an active partner with an official role. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's efforts and Israel's new status in the organization have opened the doors to Saudi Arabia."
