RSVP- 70 years of Israel’s independence

[Editor's note: This speech is published here as a gift from the author: sjk]

RSVP- 70 years of Israel’s independence

Ron Dermer

Ambassador of Israel to the United States

May 17, 2018

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of all my colleagues at the Israeli Embassy and my wife Rhoda, welcome to Israel’s 70th Independence Day celebration.

When speaking of the great friendship between America and Israel, two remarkable May 14th moments will never be forgotten.

Exactly 70 years ago today, on May 14, 1948, President Truman made America the first country to recognize the newly established State of Israel.

And today, May 14, 2018, less than six months after President Trump made America the first country to recognize Israel’s capital, the United States moved its Embassy to Jerusalem. This historic day definitely calls for a shehechiyanu.

Today, the alliance between America and Israel is stronger than ever. Extensive cooperation in security, intelligence, and cyber makes both countries safer. Expanding trade and technology ties makes both economies more prosperous.

And in so many fields, from science and medicine to water and agriculture to academia and culture, the bonds linking our two countries are pulling us closer and closer together.

But the great alliance between America and Israel did not happen on its own. It happened because of the efforts of countless individuals who worked so hard to strengthen it over so many decades.

Those of us who today enjoy the fruits of this alliance owe a debt of gratitude to those who did that work.

Well, tonight is a chance for the State of Israel to express its gratitude.

Each day over the past 70 days, we have honored those who have made a uniquely valuable contribution to strengthening Israel and its alliance with the United States.

The honorees are a diverse group. They include two Presidents who made historic recognitions, Senators and House Members who were devoted to bolstering our alliance and diplomats who skillfully nurtured it.

They include soldiers who bravely went into the breach, philanthropists who donated remarkable sums, and journalists who brought truth to light.

They include faith leaders who inspired, public figures who lent their prestige, and many others who were there for Israel when Israel needed them most.

These diverse honorees all share two things in common. They are all Americans. And they all share a profound commitment to securing the future of the one and only Jewish state.

The book you will receive tonight tells the story of that commitment.

But on this special night, we have also gathered together here in Washington most of the living honorees, as well as family members and others who are representing those who are no longer with us.

I would now like to name those honorees and invite them and those representing them to enter the hall wearing a medallion that was made especially for this occasion.

Frank Sinatra
“Si” Kenen & AIPAC
Henrietta Szold & Hadassah
Louis Brandeis
Elmo Russell "Bud" Zumwalt Jr.
James G. McDonald
Leonard Bernstein
Eddie Jacobson
Albert Einstein
Howard & Lottie Marcus
Daniel Moynihan
Robert Maguire
Henry “Scoop” Jackson
Charles Krauthammer
Michael Bloomberg
Emma Lazarus
Haim and Cheryl Saban
Marie Syrkin
Sheldon & Miriam Adeslon
Reinhold Niebuhr
“Al” Schwimmer
Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Marty Peretz
Max Fisher
Leon Uris
John Stanley Grauel
John Hagee
James Angelton
Lynn & Charles Schusterman
Bayard Rustin
Abba Hillel Silver
Zev Wolfson
The Mayors: Fiorello H. La Guardia, Ed Koch & Rudy Giuliani
Eugene Rostow
Ben Hecht
Elie Wiesel
Tom Lantos
The Crown Family
Norman Podhoretz
Nathan and Lina Straus
Robert & Myra Kraft
US Veterans
Lone Soldiers
Harry Truman
Zalman Bernstein & Roger Hertog
Bernard Lewis
Walter Lowdermilk
George Shultz
Stanley Fischer
Jeane Kirkpatrick
Daniel Inouye
Hank Greenspun
Arthur Goldberg
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Micky Marcus
Mort Zuckerman
Jimmy Hoffa
Jack Kemp
A.M. Rosenthal & William Safire
Robert Wagner
Ruth Wisse
Senator Joe Lieberman
Hubert Humphrey
American Jewish Organizations
Robert Kennedy
Michael Steinhardt
The Gottesman family
Clark Clifford
Donlad J. Trump
The American People

Now please join me in expressing our gratitude to these remarkable friends of Israel.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Tonight, I would also like to announce the 70th and final honoree: The American people.

Beyond all the individual honorees, Israel owes a profound debt of gratitude to the American people. For without their support, the alliance between the United States and Israel would be nothing like it is today.

I’m proud to say that support for Israel in America has never been broader and never been deeper.

Over the years, the alliance between America and Israel has grown stronger as the American people have increasingly recognized that Israel is a reliable and powerful ally in a region of the world critical for American interests.

Americans also appreciate that Israel shares their values. Both democracies cherish freedom of speech, press and religion. Both take pride in our independent courts and the rule of law. Both are dedicated to building free societies that ensure equality of opportunity and justice for all.

But America shares interests and values with many democracies. What makes the alliance between our two countries truly unique is something else. It is that America and Israel also share a sense of destiny.

America and Israel are not merely countries. They are causes.

America has long been what Lincoln called the last best hope on earth - a beacon of opportunity for people across the world, carrying the torch of freedom for all humanity and entrusted by history with securing liberty’s future.

Israel is the hope of the Jewish people, offering opportunity for all its citizens - Jewish and non-Jewish alike - safeguarding freedom in the darkest region on earth and entrusted by history with securing the Jewish future.

These causes give each country a deep sense of purpose – and because these purposes are not at odds with each other but rather reinforce one another, they also instill in the two countries a deep sense of solidarity.

That is why Americans support Israel with an intensity that they support perhaps no other country.

And that is why Israelis mourn America’s tragedies and rejoice in America’s triumphs as perhaps no other country does.

This sense of purpose is bigger than any leader or any issue. It is the DNA of both countries and it is the bedrock of our unique alliance.

As long as Americans and Israelis both have a sense of destiny, America and Israel will share a sense of destiny.

Today, on Israel’s 70th Independence Day, Israel honors all Americans who recognize that shared destiny and who have supported Israel decade after decade.

May God Bless America. May God Bless Israel. And may God Bless the great alliance between the United States and Israel.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As you heard, President Trump is one of our 70 honorees because of his bold and historic decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

We are truly honored to have representing him here tonight the Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence.

Mr. Vice President,

This is an opportunity for me to thank you personally for the tremendous support you have given Israel throughout your public life.

As a Congressman, you were an unabashed champion of the US-Israel alliance.

As a governor, you signed the toughest anti-BDS bill in the country.

And as Vice President, you have been unwavering in your support for Israel – which I know comes from the deepest of convictions.

When President Trump recognized Jerusalem as our capital, it was only fitting that you were standing right by his side because when it comes to supporting Israel, you have been by his side every step of the way.

So on behalf of the government and people of Israel, I want to thank both you and President Trump.

Thank you for putting an end to the appeasement of Iran’s radical regime and pulling out of a nuclear deal that is a grave danger to Israel, to America and to the peace of the world.

Thank you for unapologetically standing with Israel at the United Nations and making clear that the days when America will allow the UN to gang up on Israel – those days are over.

Thank you for unequivocally backing Israel as we defend ourselves and for providing the generous military assistance and missile defense support that enables Israel to defend itself by itself against any threat.

Thank you for having the courage and wisdom to recognize Jerusalem as our capital and move your Embassy there – one small step for peace and one giant leap for truth.

And thank you and President Trump for all that you have done and all that I know you will do to make the alliance between America and Israel greater than ever.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Please give another warm welcome to the Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence.

This page last updated May 17, 2018 jdb

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