A diplomatic effort that began two years ago bore fruit on Friday, when the UN Secretariat announced that Yom Kippur will be recognized as an official UN holiday.<br />A year ago, a general acknowledgement in principle that Yom Kippur was a holy day to the Jewish people was accepted, and ever since then Arab states have worked to delay the official recognition.<br />Current Ambassador Danny Danon kept the efforts going quietly, along with the American delegation headed by Ambassador Samantha Power.<br />Up to now, ten holidays have been officially recognized by the UN, including Christmas and Eid al-Fitr, an important Muslim holiday which concludes the month of Ramadan.<br />The UN recognition of Yom Kippur doesn't just mean the recognition of the holiday's importance to the Jewish people, but also allows Jewish UN workers to take it as a day off.
