(Communicated by the MFA Spokesperson)

President Shimon Peres will inaugurate the Israeli pavilion at the Guadalajara International Book Fair during his state visit to Mexico. Israel was chosen to be this year's guest of honor at the fair, the most important Spanish-language book fair, and second in size only to the Frankfurt Book Fair.

President Peres, accompanied by delegation of about 150 senior business people, is scheduled to leave on a state visit to Mexico at the end of November. This is the first visit of its kind to Mexico in the last decade. During his visit, President Peres will meet with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto, with ministers, senior government officials and with senior members of the Mexican business sector.  In addition, the President will address the Mexican Senate and students.

The Israeli delegation to the fair will include more than 30 authors, poets, members of the academic community and publishers, including authors David Grossman and Etgar Karet, poets Roni Someck and Agi Mishol and Israeli Nobel Prize Laureate for chemistry, Professor Ada Yonath. In addition, the delegation will include a series of artists including singers Ahinoam Nini and Ivri Lider.

The Israeli pavilion will be constructed on an area of approximately 1750 square meters. It is expected to be the star attraction at the fair, which is projected to attract some 700 thousand visitors.  The pavilion was designed by renowned architect Enrique Norten, whose work presents the relationship between sacred and secular, past and future and tradition and modernity.  Video art by the artist Michal Rubiner will be integrated into the pavilion, and facsimile copies of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Albert Einstein's manuscripts will be displayed. An Israeli film festival, a culinary fair and many Israeli exhibitions will be on display at the fair as well as at various venues around the city of Guadalajara.


President Peres inaugurates the Israeli pavilion in Guadalajara, Nov 30, 2013 (Copyright: GPO)

During the nine days of the fair, the Israeli delegation will stage over 200 different cultural activities. Israeli Ambassador to Mexico Rodica Radian-Gordon stated at a press conference at which the events planned for the Israeli pavilion were presented that "The Israeli presence at the fair will be a celebration of Israeli culture in Mexico," and added that this is the greatest Israeli presence ever at a cultural event abroad.

Founded in 1987, the Guadalajara Book Fair has been choosing one country as guest of honor since 1993. The guest of honor receives massive media exposure, which begins prior to the fair itself. 

Israel's participation as a guest of honor at the Guadalajara Book Fair is a result of an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the embassy in Mexico and in collaboration with the local Jewish community.