As part of the evening, a special and moving ceremony took place, during which Dr. Shmuel Katz, Chairman of the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy (JCAP), and Chaim Silberstein, President of JCAP, presented Her Excellency Veronika Kuchyňová Šmigolová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the State of Israel, with an original historical letter to be conveyed to President Petr Pavel.

The document—a letter written in 1935 by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the Land of Israel—is addressed to President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk on the occasion of his 85th birthday. This rare and meaningful letter represents one of the earliest examples of diplomatic and spiritual correspondence between the Jewish leadership in pre-state Israel and a European head of state.

President Masaryk was deeply admired within Jewish communities worldwide for his moral leadership and his consistent support for Jewish rights and Zionism. He was also the first head of state to visit the Land of Israel (then Mandatory Palestine) in 1927. Rabbi Kook, a towering figure in Religious Zionism, saw in Masaryk a symbol of humanity, integrity, and friendship between nations.

The letter stands as a timeless testament to the profound mutual respect and understanding between the Jewish people and the Czech nation. It reflects the enduring values of human dignity, freedom, and justice—principles that continue to form the foundation of Czech-Israeli relations to this day.

Ambassador Veronika Kuchyňová Šmigolová expressed her sincere appreciation to JCAP for this meaningful initiative, emphasizing that the Embassy deeply values the recognition of the Czech Republic as a true and steadfast friend of Israel and of the Jewish people.

This historical document serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring friendship and shared values between the Czech Republic and Israel — a relationship rooted in mutual respect, freedom, and human dignity.