The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Mr. Bohuslav Sobotka, planted an olive tree in the Grove of Nations in Jerusalem on May 22, 2016, at a tree planting ceremony that took place during his brief visit to Israel.
The ceremony was attended by the Czech Ambassador to Israel, Mr. Ivo Schwarz; the Israeli Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Mr. Gary Koren; and the President of KKL-JNF in the Czech Republic, Mr. Michael Pacovsky, who also took part in the ceremony and recited the Planter’s Prayer in Czech before the tree was planted by PM Sobotka.
“I think my trip to Israel is a testament to the long tradition of cooperation and friendship demonstrated in many spheres, whether in industry, economy, defense or research and development,” said Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka in his greetings at the festive tree planting ceremony in his honor.
The tree planting ceremony with the Czech prime minister took place on Sunday, May 22, 2016, in the Grove of Nations, which is located in the Jerusalem Forest next to Yad Vashem, the World Center for Holocaust Research, Documentation, Education and Commemoration.
The Czech PM also noted his concern for the security and political situation of the State of Israel and remarked that the entire future of the region depends on the ability to reach a state of true peace between Israel and its neighbors.
The PM and his entourage were welcomed at the ceremony by the Director of International Relations and Conferences at KKL-JNF, Ms. Karine Bolton-Laor; KKL-JNF Chief of Protocol Mr. Andy Michelson; and by the President of KKL-JNF in the Czech Republic, Mr. Michael Pacovsky, who stood next to PM Sobotka as he unveiled the stone-engraved plaque with his name on it, a permanent recognition of his planting a tree in the Grove of Nations.
The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Bohuslav Sobotka, was born on October 23, 1971, in the city of Telnice, and has been the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic since 2014 and the Chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) since 2011. His political career began in 1996, when he was first elected to the Czech Parliament, and he later served as Finance Minister from 2002 to 2006 and as Deputy Prime Minister from 2003 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2006.
In his greetings, KKL-JNF Chief of Protocol Mr. Andy Michelson mentioned an important historical detail that was significant for the destiny of the State of Israel. “The Czech Republic,” said Michelson, “was an exceptional friend of the State of Israel and, already in 1948, began what apparently helped save the establishment of the State in its early days. This was the shipment of armaments, without which it is almost certain that the nascent State would not have been able to survive.”
Michelson also noted that the Czech Republic was one of the first countries in the European Union to support Israel, when it was not so customary or politically correct to support Israel. For this, Michelson expressed appreciation for the true friendship and support of the Czech Republic for Israel, and the wish and hope that these relations be mutually preserved.
When the speeches were concluded, Mr. Michael Pacovsky recited the Planter’s Prayer in Czech, while all the guests stood and listened attentively. When the prayer ended, they said “Amen,” which was the cue for walking toward the grove, where the olive sapling to be planted by the Prime Minister was waiting. Surrounded by his entourage, PM Sobotka planted the tree and watered it. Mr. Andy Michelson presented the Czech Prime Minister with a framed KKL-JNF tree planting certificate.
After the ceremony and the tree planting, it was not easy for PM Sobotka to depart, and he could be seen taking pictures with his mobile phone of his tree and the adjacent name plaque. He also looked for the trees planted by his colleagues from the Czech Republic, who had been there before him. Just before getting into his car, he took another moment to photograph the spring wildflowers in the forest.