2013 -- H 5977

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LC02077

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING AND COMMEMORATING THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE

FOUNDING OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL

     Introduced By: Representatives Ackerman, Fox, Mattiello, McNamara, and Shekarchi

     Date Introduced: April 10, 2013

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, April 15, 2013, the 5th day of Iyar, 5773, of the Hebrew calendar, marks the

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65th Anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel; and

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     WHEREAS, The desire of the Jewish people to establish an independent modern State of

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Israel is the outgrowth of the existence of the historic Kingdom of Israel established three

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thousand years ago in the city of Jerusalem and in the land of Israel; and

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     WHEREAS, On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted to

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partition the British Mandate of Palestine and, through that vote, to create the State of Israel; and

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     WHEREAS, Three years after the end of World War II and the death of six million Jews

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in the Holocaust, David Ben Gurion's Declaration of Independence for Israel, made on May 14,

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1948, fulfilled a spiritual yearning that had remained unrealized for over two millennia; and

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     WHEREAS, On the day that the British formally ended its Mandate over Palestine, the

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Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel was signed by members of the National

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Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum and went into effect at midnight.  Thus, the State of

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Israel was proclaimed and the United States recognized and established full diplomatic relations

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with Israel that same day; and

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     WHEREAS, The United States has played a critical role in the development of Israel and

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has been steadfast in its commitment to helping the people of Israel develop their own economy

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and secure their own peace.  President Harry S. Truman, the first head of state to grant Israel

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diplomatic recognition, expressed its special place in the hearts of Americans when he declared,

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"I had faith in Israel before it was established, and I have faith in it now. I believe it has a glorious

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future before it--not just another sovereign nation, but as an embodiment of the great ideals of our

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civilization"; and

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     WHEREAS, In May of 1948, Israel had a tiny population of some 650,000 Jews.  Today,

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with a population nearly ten times larger, the State of Israel has a stronger economy and military

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than its founders ever envisioned.  It has built a thriving economy larger than the economies of all

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its immediate neighbors combined and it excels in science, technology, and culture; and

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     WHEREAS, Rhode Islanders have shared an affinity with the people of Israel and our

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partnership is steadfast.  The bonds of friendship and cooperation which have existed between

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Israel and Rhode Island for the past sixty-five years have enriched the cultural diversity of our

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state's tapestry and they are eternal; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby applauds one of the most vibrant democracies in history on the

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65th Anniversary of its founding and extends our warmest congratulations and best wishes to the

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State of Israel and her people for a peaceful, prosperous, and successful future; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Marty Cooper, Community Relations Director

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of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

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LC02077

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