Vice President Mike Pence speaks before the Knesset in Jerusalem, Israel. Image by Getty Images

By Aiden Pink January 22, 2018

Vice President Mike Pence recited the Shehecheyanu, a Jewish prayer thanking God on a special occasion, in his speech to the Knesset in Israel on Monday.

פנס דיבר בעברית בנאומו: “שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה” pic.twitter.com/JHeJERPUey

— חדשות 2 (@Channel2News) January 22, 2018

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Pence’s speech noted that Israel will mark the 70th anniversary of its independence later this year. “As you prepare to commemorate this historic milestone, I say, along with the good people of Israel, here and around the world: Shehecheyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu la’z’man ha’zeh,” he said.

Pence’s use of the prayer earned him a standing ovation.

Pence also pledged in his speech that the United States would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of 2019 — an earlier timeframe than was anticipated.

Although the beginning of Pence’s speech was marred by protests and walkouts from Arab-Israeli members of Knesset who were eventually removed by security, the rest of the address was largely positively received.

Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount