2017 -- H 6176

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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H O U S 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: Representatives Ackerman, Shekarchi, Corvese, Regunberg, and Knight

     Date Introduced: May 02, 2017

     Referred To: House read and passed

     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 House of Representatives 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 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 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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