New York, September 21st, 2026 – As the 81st session of the General Debate of the UN General Assembly kicks off tomorrow Tuesday, 22nd September, it does so with a one-day delay. The explanation to the delay is a little known and underreported diplomatic breakthrough for Israel from 2016 when then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the official recognition of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur as a rotating UN holiday, thus preventing any significant UN meetings from taking place on this, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The UN observance of Yom Kippur has ever since been faithfully observed, occasionally resulting in a pause in the General Debate because of the Jewish Day of Atonement.
This was not always the case. Until 2016 Judaism was the only monotheistic world religion not to have any of its holidays recognized by the UN. The fact that the Jewish High Holidays, including Yom Kippur, tend to fall around the time of the UN General Debate in September prevented at times Israeli diplomats from attending important sessions as they observed the holiday. As TV cameras would zoom in the empty seats of the Israeli delegation on Yom Kippur no explanation was given as to why they were not in attendance thus fuelling even more anti-Israel sentiments at the UN.
The UN recognition of Yom Kippur as an official holiday in 2016 is one of the most underreported positive news stories in the Jewish world in recent years, says ECI Founding Director Tomas Sandell, who was one of the initiators behind this diplomatic effort to reform the UN in order to make it more inclusive for Jewish diplomats. The process, which was initiated by Forum for Cultural Diplomacy took two years to complete and began during the tenure of Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor and was completed during Ambassador Danny Danon’s first term at the UN.
Sandell notes that the Yom Kippur initiative proves the effectiveness of quiet diplomacy in moving the diplomatic needle of Israel in the right direction. This is not to neglect the military dimension of world affairs but soft diplomacy, if handled in the right way, has a great potential in gradually changing the mindset of diplomats even in the most toxic environments such as the UN.
During the two-year diplomatic campaign, numerous diplomatic receptions were hosted to promote recognition of Yom Kippur as a UN Jewish holiday. Often organised around major Jewish holidays, these events highlighted their universal significance. What began as a cultural diplomacy project centred on Jewish contributions to the international community evolved into a diplomatic initiative on behalf of the Jewish state and its contributions to the world.
This year most of the media attention will be given to the 25th anniversary of the antisemitic UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban in 2001 whereas the 10th anniversary of the UN recognition of Yom Kippur has been widely forgotten.
Reflecting on the two anniversaries, Sandell notes that the Jewish world is steadfast in commemorating the darkest chapters in their history, but less consistent in marking diplomatic breakthroughs and achievements. While the world must continue to remember the disastrous UN conference in Durban in 2001 as well as the atrocities of 7 October 2023, it should also recognise the diplomatic milestone which was reached at the UN in 2016 and which explains why the international community pauses in observance of Yom Kippur today Monday 21 September.
European Coalition for Israel will again this year be present at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly before flying off to Israel one week later to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of October 7, 2023.
Picture: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) and Ambassador of Israel to the UN, Ron Prosor at the Tashlir event to promote UN recognition of Yom Kippur, co-hosted by Forum for Cultural Diplomacy in New York in 2015.
