Friends of Israel from all corners of the globe will come together on Sunday, September 5th, at 12 PM CET (6 AM EDT) for a joyous virtual celebration of the Jewish state a day before Rosh Hashanah.

The Global Celebrate Israel Marathon is being organized by the European Coalition for Israel (ECI) and its umbrella organization the International Coalition for Israel (ICI).

The speakers lineup includes Israeli Ambassador to the UN and U.S. Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador to the UN and International Organizations in Geneva Meirav Eilon Shahar, and Chief Rabbi of Moscow Pinchas Goldschmidt, who is president of the Conference of European Rabbis.

“We want to light a candle, rather than curse the darkness,” ECI Founding Director Tomas Sandell said. “This is our candle of hope in a world full of so much hatred, especially Jew hatred. We want to spell it out, loud and clear, in speeches, through music, poems and dances, that we celebrate Israel and cherish the presence of the Jewish communities among us.”

The purpose of the event is to demonstrate worldwide appreciation and support for Israel ahead of the UN’s upcoming commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which infamously turned into a antisemitic hate fest with long-lasting harmful influences. The roots of much of the contemporary demonization of Israel in the international human rights field can be traced to Durban.

Presentations will be made from all continents, kicking off with Samoa in Polynesia and ending six hours later in Guatemala in Central America.

“This is not merely a Christian initiative to support Israel but a celebration together with the Jewish communities around the world,” Sandell, whose organization is marking its 20th anniversary this year, added. “This is our way of saying that Israel is not alone and that together is best.”

Sunday’s event will be broadcast live from Jerusalem on the ECI website: ec4i.org