The President of Israel Reuven Rivlin and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke about International Holocaust Remembrance Day and antisemitism in Europe. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The blizzard in the northeastern US did not pass over President Reuven Rivlin, whose scheduled speech for International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the United Nations on Tuesday was postponed by one day due to the harsh weather.

With a forecast of more than three feet of snow in New York, Rivlin’s entourage attempted to stick to the original schedule as best as they could. Rivlin met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday. The two spoke about International Holocaust Remembrance Day and antisemitism in Europe, as well diplomatic issues.

Ban’s office released a statement on the meeting saying the two also discussed how to restart peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Rivlin called for the appointment of a permanent antisemitism envoy at the UN and for antisemitism awareness to be increased.

The Foreign Ministry is scheduled to hold thousands of events throughout the world for International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Tuesday. The main event will be at the UN, with Rivlin, Ban and Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum Director Avner Shalev in attendance.

“Antisemitism affects all of humanity, and it is my hope you will continue to lead the U.N.’s fight against it,” Rivlin told Ban on Monday. “I want to thank the secretary-general for the invitation to be a part of this event, and for his unwavering commitment to the fight against anti-Semitism.”

The rest of Rivlin’s scheduled events for Tuesday were postponed to Wednesday because of the weather.