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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of this country’s most important allies in the War on Terror, the State of Israel. 58 years ago today, at 4:00 PM, 5^th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, David Ben Gurion read the Israeli Declaration of Independence over the radio ending 2,000 years of exile and persecution and fulfilling God’s promise to return the Holy Land to the hands of the Jewish people.

The Israeli government was founded to “ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex,” principles we here in this country cherish as well. By holding regular free-elections, Israel has been an oasis of democracy in a vast desert of theocracies, serving as a beacon of hope for oppressed people everywhere.

In less than 60 years, this open society has allowed the country to prosper economically, creating vibrant agricultural, industrial and technological sectors virtually from scratch and leading to successful foreign trade agreements. Israel has worked tireless to promote peace in the Middle East by achieving peace accords with Egypt and Jordan, an idea that would have seemed impossible in 1948. The Jewish State’s many positive contributions to the world community are exemplified by the Nobel Prizes in economics, chemistry, literature and peace that have been awarded to its citizens.

It is hard to believe that all of this has come out of a country no bigger than New Jersey and that it perseveres in the face of constant adversity. If one of the main planks of our foreign policy is to spread democracy and promote freedom around the world, then I can think of no better way to accomplish that goal then by strengthening the bond between our countries and offering it as an example to the rest of the world.

Israel Independence day, or Yom Ha’atzmaut in Hebrew, provides Jews in this country an opportunity to demonstrate their solidarity with and strengthen their alliance with the State of Israel. It is fitting, then, that I stand here at the beginning of the very first Jewish American Heritage Month in which we will celebrate the 352 year history of the Jews’ contributions to American culture.

Therefore, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution, congratulating Israel on 58 years of independence and I look forward to building an even stronger relationship with our friends in the years to come.