R 234

2016 -- H 8209 Enacted 05/12/2016

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING AND COMMEMORATING THE 68TH ANNIVERSARY OF ISRAEL'S INDEPENDENCE DAY ON THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016

Introduced By: Representatives Ackerman, McNamara, Regunberg, Amore, and

Date Introduced: May 12, 2016

WHEREAS, May 12, 2016, the 4th day of Iyar, 5776, of the Hebrew calendar, marks the

68th Anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel; and

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

with Israel that same day; and

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

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

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

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

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

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

civilization"; and

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

with a population more than ten times larger, the State of Israel has a stronger economy and

military than its founders ever envisioned. It has built a thriving economy larger than the

economies of all its immediate neighbors combined and it excels in science, technology, and

culture; and

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

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

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

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

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

Providence Plantations hereby applauds one of the most vibrant democracies in history on the 68th

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

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

RESOLVED, That this House hereby seeks to strengthen its State-to-State relationship

and public and private cooperation with the State of Israel, its government, business sector,

educational institutions, civil society, and person-to-person exchanges to promote mutual respect

between all the people of Israel and the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

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

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

of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, and Yahuda Yaakov, Consul General of Israel.

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LC005917

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