On Wednesday, as Jews from around the world fasted and gathered in prayer in honor of Yom Kippur, the United Nations Headquarters in New York City was closed for an official holiday.

It was good news for the Israeli delegation and other Jewish members of the international community who, according to outgoing Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor, should not feel “obligated to work on Yom Kippur” as they have in the past when it was business as usual.

However, despite a letter from 32 nations penned last year to the UN General Assembly which included Prosor’s concerns, Wednesday’s day off at U.N headquarters was not for Yom Kippur.

Instead, it was to celebrate the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Adha.

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