Honor Israel's 72nd Anniversary

Senate Resolution No. 2777 BY: Senator KAPLAN CONGRATULATING the State of Israel upon the occasion of the 72nd Anniversary of its independence and reaffirming the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the State of New York and Israel WHEREAS, May 9, 2020, marks the 72nd Anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel in the ancestral home of the Jewish people; 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, Israel was officially declared an independent nation on May

14, 1948, in fulfillment of the eternal desire of the Jewish people to return to the land of the historic Kingdom of Israel established 3,000 years ago and to the holy city of Jerusalem; and WHEREAS, A century ago at the First Zionist Congress, in Basel, Switzerland, participants under the leadership of Theodore Herzl affirmed the desire to reestablish a Jewish homeland in the historic land of Israel; and WHEREAS, The modern State of Israel was born out of the ashes of the Holocaust and World War II where the death of six million Jews did not eliminate the will of a people to seek dignity in life and a place of respect and recognition among the people of the civilized world; and WHEREAS, Israel, since its inception, when the combined forces of five Arab nations invaded to destroy the dream of the Jewish people, continues to face the hostility, and frequently through the years of its statehood, the armed aggression, of its neighbors; and WHEREAS, Despite these conflicts, in the 72 years since its establishment, the modern State of Israel has rebuilt a nation, forged a new and dynamic society, and created a unique and vital economic, political, cultural and intellectual life despite the heavy cost of six wars, terrorism, international ostracism and economic boycotts; and WHEREAS, In its 72 years of statehood, Israel has established a modern parliamentary democracy and has become the most successful democracy in the Middle East, and has provided its citizens with the highest standards of living and human equality in a region otherwise beset with poverty and human rights abuses; and WHEREAS, Israel has made significant global contributions in the fields of science, medicine, and technology; and WHEREAS, Israel continues to strive for peace with security and dignity for itself, its neighbors and throughout the world in order to fulfill the prophecy of becoming a light unto the nations; and WHEREAS, The people of New York share an affinity with the people of Israel and view Israel as a strong and trusted ally; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to congratulate the State of Israel upon the occasion of the 72nd Anniversary of its independence and reaffirming the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the State of New York and Israel; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to the Consul General of Israel for New York, Dani Dayan.