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Greetings on the occasion of Israel's 60th Anniversary
Jerusalem, May 2008
Dear Friends,
As we stand poised to celebrate Israel's 60th Anniversary, we can only but
look back on our achievements with a great deal of pride. From its
inception, practically rising from the ashes of the unspeakable horrors of
the Holocaust, Israel has had to fight for its survival through 7 wars and
relentless attacks on its very existence. Yet we persisted in turning the
vision of a homeland for the Jewish people into reality. We have created a
model democracy, an independent judiciary system and set ourselves at the
forefront of fields such as science and technology, hi-tech, agriculture and
medicine, to name but some of the areas in which Israel excels.
But we should not allow ourselves to rest on our laurels. We must seek to
educate our younger generation for leadership roles in our 3 Tomorrows: The
Israel Tomorrow, The Jewish Tomorrow and The Global Tomorrow. We must bridge
the growing social gaps in our country. We must cultivate stronger ties with
the Jewish Diaspora and engage the young in these communities to connect
with Israel. We must initiate breakthroughs in spheres such as
nano-technology, desalination to alleviate water shortages, find alternative
sources of energy, green the desert and make inroads in ever more
sophisticated medical applications. During these
years, we have made peace with Egypt and Jordan and hope that the peace
negotiations with the Palestinians will bear fruit.
We must be true to the values dictated by our Prophets, a legacy that has
united the Jewish people through the ages and that must continue to serve as
our beacon for the generations to come.
As Israel celebrates 60 years of independence I wish the citizens of our
country, the Jewish people and our friends throughout the world a peaceful
and prosperous anniversary year.
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