ZAGREB, 2 Dec 2021 - The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah was marked officially in the Croatian parliament on Thursday, by lighting the Hanukkah candles.

The event, organized by the Croatia-Israel interparliamentary friendship group, was attended by Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, Israeli Ambassador Ilan Mor, Deputy Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner, and the head of the Croatia-Israel interparliamentary friendship group, Marijana Petir, who lit the candles.

Jandroković said he had witnessed the development of the Croatia-Israeli relations since the early 1990s, when, he said, "we did not understand each other so well", to the present day, when "those relations are the best ever, based on friendship and partnership."

We have achieved a high level of understanding for mutual values and our place in international relations, Jandroković said, adding that the two countries share the same views on many global and international challenges.

We belong to the Judeo-Christian civilization that shares, to a large extent, the same or similar values, and I am confident that in the time to come to Croatia and Israel will build even stronger ties because the world today is such that we must look for friends and allies, for partners which we can rely on. Croatia has demonstrated that position to Israel on a number of occasions and vice versa, and I am confident that we will continue doing so in the future, said Jandroković.

Ambassador Mor said that the holiday of Hanukkah symbolized dedication, and that connected with it was a legend of the miracle of light that burned in the Temple for eight days even though there was only enough sacred oil for one day's lighting. Therefore eight candles are lit on a menorah to symbolize eight days that celebrate the rededication of the Temple, he said.

Ambassador Mor said that he considered it a great honor that a Hanukkah candle would be lit in the Croatian parliament, which he described as yet another proof of the friendship between the two countries that share the same values.

The holiday of Hanukkah is marked at the time of preparations for the holiday of Christmas, which confirms how close our two religions are, the ambassador said, offering his best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

The Hanukkah menorah is traditionally lit every evening during the eight-day holiday.

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19 June 2021 – The Dubrovnik Tourist Board released a new promotional video made for the Israeli market in Dubrovnik. The motivation behind it is the announcement of direct flights between Dubrovnik and Tel Aviv

Dubrovnik is a famous travel destination in many corners of the world. There are many things attracting travellers to it, none more so than its rich history. Dubrovnik’s history contains a very interesting story about the local Jewish community, and this is exactly the thing Dubrovnik Tourist Board capitalises on in this newest promotional campaign.

At the heart of the campaign is a short promotional video showing some highlights of Dubrovnik’s Jewish heritage. It is hosted by a local tour guide and member of the city’s Jewish community, Matija Singer. In a beautifully filmed, 5-minute video, viewers are taken around Dubrovnik’s historical centre. Mr. Singer expertly presents some of the most important places and artifacts in Hebrew. The video does have English subtitles, so make sure to watch it below.

Direct Flights from Israel

The main driving force behind the campaign is the establishing of a direct flight from Tel Aviv to Dubrovnik. Dubrovacki Vjesnik reports the line will be operated by Croatia Airlines and Arkia Airlines. It will run from the beginning of July to the end of October. We are to see four flights per week with Arkia Airlines connecting the two cities on Mondays and Fridays and Croatia Airlines also running flights twice per week starting on July 15^th.

This is exciting news for many in the tourism sector. Interest for Dubrovnik has been rising cautiously over the last decade on the Israeli market. Still, there is still plenty of room for progress. In 2019 local tourist board recorded only 6322 arrivals by Israeli guests. With these announced flights, Dubrovnik has a real chance of breaking those numbers and starting on the path of becoming an important destination for citizens of Israel. Considering this news comes now, while the city is still struggling with the lack of guests and international travel restrictions, it is even more exciting.

 For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.