Ron Prosor, Israel's ambassador to the UN. Photo: UN Multimedia.

Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, H.E. Ron Prosor, invited a few hundred friends and associates to join him at a reception honoring the 64th anniversary of Israel’s independence on April 25.

Representatives from every continent came together to congratulate the Jewish State at the Ambassador’s Tent on the UN’s North Lawn. As the reflection of the sunset gleamed on the waters of New York’s East River, politics were set aside for an evening of camaraderie, good music, and a traditional light buffet of Israeli specialties.

Highlighting the evening was the humorous greeting by the usually serious ambassador, Prosor. Noting that there were perhaps fewer “lords and ladies” than might have populated such a gathering at his previous assignment for Israel, the United Kingdom’s Court of St. James, Prosor’s wry humor encouraged many a diplomatic giggle. At this gathering, his references to the “West Bank” (of the East River, that is) were received with laughter.