| R 213 |
| 2017 -- S 0848 Enacted 05/02/2017 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CELEBRATING AND COMMEMORATING THE 69TH ANNIVERSARY OF ISRAEL'S INDEPENDENCE DAY ON TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2017 |
| Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Miller, Raptakis, Algiere, and Satchell |
| Date Introduced: May 02, 2017 |
| WHEREAS, May 2, 2017, the 6th of Iyar, 5777, of the Hebrew calendar, marks the 69th |
| 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 twelve 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-nine years have enriched the cultural diversity of our |
| state's tapestry and they are eternal; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
| hereby applauds one of the most vibrant democracies in history on the 69th 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 Senate 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 Jeffrey K. Savit, President and CEO of the |
| Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, and Yehuda Yaakov, Consul General of Israel. |
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| LC002557 |
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