On Monday, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization – brought together a broad gathering of Israeli CEOs, U.S. and Israeli politicians, and Jewish leaders to celebrate the U. S. Embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The program, which took place just hours before the official ceremony and acknowledged the culmination of decades of advocacy work by the OU, was geared toward showing gratitude to President Trump and his administration for publicly recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The event took place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Jerusalem and included addresses by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin; U.S. Amb. to Israel David Friedman; Florida Gov. Rick Scott; Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett; Israel Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked; Israeli Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ze’ev Elkin; Member of Knesset and Opposition Leader Yitzhak Herzog; and former Israel Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau. The OU recognized U.S. Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt for his commitment to bringing peace to the Middle East and his crucial role in advocating for the embassy move.

“I spend half my time monitoring the progress of sanctions. They work. We must stop the flow of funds to terrorists and rogue regimes,” said Mnuchin who received roaring applause from the audience. “What a historic day. It was 70 years in the making and the right thing for the United States to do.”

During the event, the OU presented Friedman with a handcrafted mezuzah, the traditional encased scroll that Jews place upon their doorposts.

“We have been waiting for this day for 70 years. The world applauds the United States when it returns to the leadership position in the world. None of this would have happened without the courage and moral clarity of the President of the United States Donald Trump,” said Friedman.

“Today we celebrate what we hope, and pray to the Almighty, is the turning point in the process of the world’s recognition of the Jewish claim to Jerusalem,” said OU President Moishe Bane in his address. “The United States of America, Israel’s dearest friend, and the world’s beacon of liberty and justice, has recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s heritage and capital city, not only in word but in action. And for that, we as Americans, and Jews throughout the world, express our deepest appreciation and gratitude.”

Since 1972, the Orthodox Union has been at the forefront of the American Jewish community in advocating for the relocating of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. In February of 2017, OU leadership met with senior Trump administration officials to advocate for a change in policy toward recognizing Jerusalem’s status as the capital of Israel, nearly a year before President Trump’s historic Dec. 6, 2017 announcement of plans to move the Embassy to Jerusalem.

“We express gratitude to President Trump and the leaders of his administration for being catalysts in fulfilling, at long last, the promise to move the embassy to its rightful location, for recognizing that the time had come, and the time was now,” said OU Executive Vice President Allen Fagin.

The OU also held a celebration in New York City at the private residence of Consul General of Israel in New York Amb. Dani Dayan. OU Advocacy Center Executive Director Nathan Diament joined Dayan to address the group about this historic day and the milestone in the relationship between Israel and America. Together with Dayan, the group watched the livestream of the U.S. Embassy’s dedication ceremony in Jerusalem.The Orthodox Union is unique among American Jewish organizations because of its extensive operations in Israel.

The OU Israel Center in Jerusalem is a hub of Torah study, Jewish culture and spiritual growth for over 60,000 English speakers.

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