Title
Celebrating the 71st Anniversary of the foundation of the State of Israel.
Body
WHEREAS, On the 14th of May, 1948, in Tel Aviv, David Ben-Gurion declared "the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine, to be called Israe.". Ben-Gurion would serve as the nation's first and longest-serving prime minister; and
WHEREAS, The creation of a Jewish homeland represented for many the end of countless years of oppression, particularly in Eastern Europe, where the Jewish Community had made calls for a territorial Jewish state since at least the late 1800s in order to escape persecution; and
WHEREAS, In October of 1946, following the devastation of World War II and particularly the Holocaust, President Truman declared the support of the United States for a Jewish state in Palestine. In November of 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution allowing for the establishment of a Jewish state, paving the way for the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel the following May; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia has been home to a thriving Jewish Community since the late 17th Century; and
WHEREAS, Our City has long had a close relationship to Israel that extends beyond the traditional bonds between democratic nations. We are connected by our shared values of diversity and equality, our shared commitment to education and innovation, and our shared passion for social and economic justice. We are both communities that face our own unique challenges, but are committed to the basic principles of brotherly and sisterly love; and
WHEREAS, The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia nurtures a dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship with Israel through the Philadelphia-Netivot and S'dot Negev Partnership, established in 1997. Originally founded as a city of North African immigrants, Netivot has welcomed Russian-speaking and Ethiopian immigrants, reflecting true diversity. Over the past 20 years, the Jewish Federation has invested over $10 mil...
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