Israel – Israel at 60 (2008)

Israel at 60 (2008)

May 14, 1948, saw the realization of the dream of the Jewish people, the establishment of a Jewish homeland, an independent and sovereign nation, Medinat Yisrael, the State of Israel. Despite 60 years of violent hostility, war and calumny from its neighbors and their friends, Israel has not only survived but has grown and prospered. To Jews throughout the world and especially Jews in the Conservative/Masorti movement, Israel is a model of dedication to the moral principles of social justice and peaceful coexistence.

From a fledging nation of little more than three-quarters of a million people in 1948, Israel at its sixtieth year of existence has grown to over seven million souls. Israel has offered succor to thousands of Jews persecuted and dispersed from other lands such as Russia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Iran, Argentina, and India. From all parts of the modern world, Jews have come to the State of Israel seeking basic life-sustaining opportunities and life-enriching experiences resulting in truly diverse peoples united as one nation committed to the cause of peace and harmony among all peoples within and without her borders.

From an Israel that was primarily agrarian in focus in its early settlement days, contemporary Israel is a technological center unrivaled in the world. Exemplary breakthroughs in the medical and pharmacological fields have contributed to the healing and well-being of people throughout the world. Applied technological know-how in the economic sphere has made Israel a leader in investment and research and development enterprises.

Israel has offered direct, humanitarian relief in every locale to communities throughout the world that have suffered natural disasters such as earthquakes, famine, and tidal floods. Israel has been among the first to offer help and to respond to human needs when calamity struck. This nation has lived the dictum, “Justice, justice shall you pursue.”

As Israel stands in its 61st year of sovereignty, Women’s League for Conservative Judaism congratulates the State of Israel for its accomplishments to date. Women’s League for Conservative Judaism pledges the continuing and unwavering support of all its members for Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation as well as its inalienable right to peace and tranquility.

AM YISRAEL CHAI