Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Ángel Moratinos; Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tzpi Livni; President of the Community of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre; Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Leire Pajín; ladies and gentlemen:
This official inauguration of the Casa Sefarad-Israel, following the 18 December signing of the collaboration agreement creating the consortium going by the same name between the Town Hall, the Community of Madrid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Spanish International Cooperation Agency, is especially significant not only for what it means for Madrid to host this new Sephardic-Israeli centre but also for its significance in the construction of an open and diverse metropolis. Madrid, forever respectful of its most cherished historical legacy, while at the same time desirous of exploring the new challenges and opportunities which the globalised world of the 21st century has made available to us, bears witness to the intertwining of these two approaches through this new entity.
Casa Sefarad-Israel is the response to a yearning expressed time and again by Jewish organisations and its creation will enable us to take greater advantage of the potential -squandered in a sense hitherto- offered by an important community present throughout practically the entire world which has refused to cut its ties with Spain, with that Sephardim forming a very real part of their collective memory as one of the richest periods in their history.
The Casa Sefarad-Israel is a project which seeks to contribute to acknowledging the contributions of Jewish culture to the History of Spain, to the advancement of this culture and to the development of Spain´s relations with the Hebrew community and organisations. It is also conceived as a reference point, a place of meeting, as a symbol of the union of the Sephardic Diaspora, opening its doors to the world´s Sephardic community as a social, economic, political, cultural and historic centre and naturally as a forum whereby to welcome all of those interested in the Sephardic world and its activities, irregardless of their personal religious convictions.
Casa Sefarad-Israel is, therefore, an element of social and cultural wealth unto itself. But if this inauguration of the Casa Sefarad-Israel has further added value, it would be its contribution to the free, open, tolerant and cosmopolitan spirit of this city of Madrid which is so dear to us. And this is certainly not an isolated contribution in this connection; in a period of only two years, Madrid has collaborated in the founding of the Casa Árabe, the Casa Asia in Madrid, and today the Casa Sefarad-Israel. Also, for more than fifteen years now we have had the honour of hosting the Casa de América and as of last year our city is home to the headquarters of the Secretariat-General for Latin America. All of these are intercultural links, sites encouraging sharing and a better understanding of our differences. These are also the dwellings, the homes of other communities in our city and all serve as bridges putting the citizens of Madrid in contact with other communities.
As the city´s Government, we have embraced this philosophy and have enthusiastically supported each one of these Casas, well aware of the incalculable wealth they represent for Madrid and its citizens. And that is precisely the reason why we have encouraged the involvement of the civil society, together with the public institutions, in these Casas. I am sure that Casa Sefarad-Israel will spark this involvement leading to a productive and fruitful public-private collaboration owing to the fact that the Jewish community is one of the most dynamic, alive and vibrant to be found anywhere. It is a community which is no stranger to the creation and construction of projects and with which Madrid hopes, from today forward, to establish, or rather to re-establish, a unique and permanent link. Madrid has already dedicated a number of public spaces to this Jewish heritage which forms part of the city's history and to important Israeli leaders such as Isaac Rabin who eagerly worked to make the dream of peace, to which Madrid contributed, a reality.
Madrid welcomes you, and together with you a further 180 nationalities share this city with us. Today Madrid is an area of freedom where tolerance and diversity are the answer to difference. Where respect and integration, while not always perfect, facilitate co-existence. Today, the Madrid which is home to the Casa Sefarad-Israel is a Madrid where we have all learned to work together in search of a brighter future without concern over where we came from or how we pray. Hence, the Sephardic and Jewish community will feel at home amongst us in this city and we, as its leaders, promise to work to link this community to each and every one of the cultures living here with us, and to link, to the degree possible, this Casa Sefarad-Israel with all the other Casas, fora and international organisations which have their headquarters in our city.
Shalom.