[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 6, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H3437-H3440]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING ISRAEL'S 66TH INDEPENDENCE DAY
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. DeSantis). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 3, 2013, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Frankel)
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
General Leave
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous materials on the subject of my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, tonight's Special Order is meant
to honor Israel's 66th Independence Day. Last year, I also had the
honor of leading a similar Special Order.
Much is made about the contention in the United States Congress.
Therefore, it pleases me to say that the security of Israel remains
bipartisan in every aspect. I have a number of Members with us tonight
who I will yield my time to to celebrate this wonderful occasion.
First, I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), my
colleague, a distinguished member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for yielding, and
I thank the gentlelady for her passionate support of the State of
Israel. It has been an honor to serve with you on the Foreign Affairs
Committee and to be an active member of the Jewish Caucus here in the
House.
I rise today to celebrate 66 years of independence by the State of
Israel and 66 years of lasting friendship between our two nations.
On May 14, 1948, under the leadership of future Israeli Prime
Minister David-Ben Gurion, Jewish leaders established the State of
Israel. At that time, President Harry Truman recognized the new state
and sent a strong message to countries throughout the Middle East and
the world that Israel would not face its future challenges alone.
Since that time, Israel has thrived and become a strong democracy.
Today, our two nations remain closely aligned as a result of our shared
values and common interests. During these 66 years Israel has overcome
many difficult challenges and the continued existence of a Jewish state
is a testament to the will and strength of the people of Israel.
As we reflect on the achievements of this great country, we must also
remember its modern beginnings. Israel was established as a safe haven
for the Jewish people who survived centuries of persecution and
oppression.
Today, the people of Israel continue to face many threats to their
way of life and to their country. There are those who believe violence
is the solution to resolving their differences with the State of
Israel.
But to promote security throughout this region, what the Middle East
really needs is stability and peace. I want to take a moment to commend
our President, President Obama, and Secretary of State John Kerry for
their commitment to securing a lasting peace and their work toward
achieving that goal.
On the 66th anniversary of the establishment of Israel, we strongly
affirm our commitment to Israel as both a friend and ally, and double
down on our efforts to bring peace to this region of the world. As
President Truman so eloquently noted: Israel has ``a glorious future
before it, not just as another sovereign nation, but as an embodiment
of the great ideals of our civilization.''
I know we have all had the opportunity to visit Israel and to see
firsthand the success of this democracy and the prosperity of this
country surviving and thriving in a very difficult neighborhood. It has
been a great honor to be here in Congress and to continue to support
the relationship between our two great countries, but to really honor
the success of 66 years of independence of a country that shares our
values, that continues to be an example to the world of a great
democracy.
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island for
your articulate and passionate remarks.
Now it gives me great pleasure to yield to the very distinguished
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows), another colleague of mine
on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership
and
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truly for this time where we have come together to not only celebrate
the 66th anniversary of Israel, but a time of remembrance.
As important as a celebration may be each and every year, we must
reflect back on what brought this Nation to be. It was really rooted
many years prior to its birth in unbelievable tragedy, grief,
oppression, when almost 7 million Jews--moms, dads, sons and daughters,
husbands and wives--were killed and terminated in a way that many of us
can only try to grasp why that could have possibly happened in this
world.
Yet today, we see that the antisemitic rhetoric throughout much of
Europe has grown to levels that we have not seen since those days of
Hitler. So we must take this day and every day to make sure that we
voice not only our support for Israel, but our support for a Jewish
nation in which America enjoys a great partnership and friendship, but
truly an unyielding resolve of brotherly affection.
So today, I thank the gentlewoman for her time and allowing me to
speak on this particular issue. But it is important that we remember
that even though there was years ago a great tragedy, that today if we
do not speak up that things can continue to happen and be a downward
spiral, for right at this moment as we speak there are some 100,000
missiles aimed at Israel.
We can live in relative peace and comfort here in America, yet in
cities and neighborhoods all across Israel they have to live in fear of
a siren going off and a missile perhaps coming in. Yet, it is this
partnership and friendship that we have with Israel that must remain
solid and be strong.
We have a country that is some 10,000 square miles in Israel,
surrounded by 5.2 million square miles of oil-rich country. Yet Israel
has no iron, no gold, no silver, no lead, no oil to speak of, and yet
over and over again she is attacked. And so you have to ask yourself,
why? Why is it that so many people call Israel the aggressor when the
missiles are aimed towards her?
I stand today to not only thank the gentlewoman for her time, but
also to acknowledge the greatness of Israel, our friendship that is
unyielding, and to say Happy 66th Independence Day.
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Meadows, for your very moving
comments. I appreciate you being here with us tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield to the gentleman from
California, Mr. Alan Lowenthal, another one of my distinguished
colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee and a fellow first-term
Member whom I had the honor of traveling to Israel with our freshman
class.
Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from
Florida for inviting me. I too was moved by the speech and the talking
from my dear friend and colleague from North Carolina.
As we know, 66 years ago, with the darkness of the Holocaust still
fresh in all of our minds, the State of Israel was born as a shining
beacon of freedom and democracy.
I was born just as the Second World War was beginning. I remember
when the State of Israel was founded. My family, my mother, was an
immigrant; my father was the first of his family to be born in the
United States from immigrant parents. Now I am so proud to be here as a
Member of the House of Representatives and to recognize also that my
country was the first nation to recognize Israel.
Since 1948, and as I can say, there was such great pride I took when
Israel fought its war of independence, when Israel became a state, and
Israel has persevered against great threats both large and small while
at the same time building a dynamic, thriving, and innovative economy.
Today, we are so proud of our unbreakable bonds with Israel, built
upon our common foundation of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the
rule of law. Israel is without question the United States' closest ally
in the Middle East and most likely our closest ally throughout the
world. The people of Israel continue to be a symbol of democratic
courage in the Middle East and throughout the world.
As I remember and we recall the independence and the founding of the
State of Israel 66 years ago, I am reminded of the words of President
John F. Kennedy, who said:
Israel was not created in order to disappear. Israel will
endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and home of the
brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized
by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors
the sword of freedom.
Happy Independence Day--Yom Ha'atzmaut Sameach.
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Lowenthal, for your very
heartfelt comments.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Israel commemorated Memorial Day to honor the
memory of more than 24,000 Israeli men, women, and children who have
been killed in terror attacks and wars over the past 66 years.
Immediately following Memorial Day Israel transitioned to
Independence Day, when Israelis and Jews across the globe celebrate the
modern-day revival of the State of Israel. This abrupt transition from
the solemn Memorial Day to the celebration of Independence Day embodies
the Israel and Jewish narrative of resilience in the face of adversity.
We recognize our suffering while we appreciate our survival.
Mr. Speaker, as commented by my colleagues who preceded me, the
importance of Israel as our best ally in a very unstable region is so
significant in this United States Congress that each year the first-
term Members take a tour of Israel. We visit leaders and members of
civil society. I was honored to be on that trip this summer.
When we visited Israel, we saw a nation at the forefront of
innovation, science, and technology, a country where booming modernity
sits side by side in stark contrast with ancient history.
{time} 1945
Sixty-six years ago, Israel began as a modest nation of 800,000
people, fighting for its very survival. Today, Israel's population
stands at well over 8 million. It is a thriving, liberal democracy, the
homeland for the Jewish people, a global economic and high-tech
powerhouse, and it maintains the region's most powerful military force;
yet, as my colleagues mentioned, Israel still faces threats.
For anyone who has ever been to the small Middle Eastern country, you
are immediately struck by the proximity of unfriendly or unstable
neighbors; the border with Syria, where war has ravaged the country for
years, threatening to destabilize the surrounding region; the border
with Egypt, where the largest Arab nation faces great uncertainty; then
the border with Gaza from an Israeli kibbutz that suffered thousands of
rocket attacks. We witnessed, ourselves, how the good people live in
fear each day.
Of course, there is the perpetual threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. For
Israel, an Iran armed with nuclear weapons represents an unimaginable
threat. Without even firing a single weapon, Iran would be able to
extend its nuclear umbrella to its terrorist proxies across the globe,
including to Hamas and Hezbollah, sitting on Israel's doorstep.
Even more terrifying, we would see a proliferation of nuclear
arsenals throughout the region; yet, even in the face of these threats,
Israelis remain optimistic for their future and proud of their national
identity. So, tonight, I want to say that we are proud as Israeli
allies, and we join them in celebrating their 66th year of
independence.
Mr. Speaker, I do want to share the story of one of my constituents.
His name is Aron Bell. He is 85 years old, and he is a proud Jewish
American resident of Palm Beach County. Today, he is celebrating
Israeli Independence Day, but this is more than just a celebration for
him; it is a memory.
Aron Bell was born Aron Bielski. For those of you who may have seen
Daniel Craig's blockbuster movie ``Defiance,'' you are familiar with
the Bielski brothers--the Jewish partisans who saved over 1,000 Jews
from death camps by building a village of defiance in the forest of
Nazi-occupied Poland. Aron was the youngest of these brothers depicted
in the film.
After his traumatic survival during World War II, Aron emigrated to
the British Mandate for Palestine, having witnessed the horrors of the
Holocaust and having understood the increased urgency for Jewish self-
determination.
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In 1948, when Israel declared its independence and was immediately
attacked by five surrounding Arab nations, Aron fought in order to
protect the Israelis' dream of independence.
Aron's journey, though remarkable, is not unique. The story of the
Jewish people is riddled with triumph and tragedy. Israel's national
anthem, called Hatikvah--meaning ``the hope''--sings of the 2,000-year-
old dream to be free in a land of our own. After centuries of pogroms,
inquisitions, and genocide, the dream has been realized in the
establishment of the State of Israel.
I know I speak for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle tonight
when I say we celebrate the independence--the birth--of the great State
of Israel; and we are here to protect and secure Israel for eternity.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the State of Israel's
Sixty-Sixth year of independence.
As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, I understand the importance
of a Jewish state as both a democratic society and a refuge of culture
and heritage. I am proud to celebrate its continued success.
The spirit of Israel is as strong today as it was in 1948 when Great
Britain's mandate expired and a new nation was born. Its people
continue to seek academic advancement, participate in international
commerce, and support the arts. All this, while managing threats to its
security.
My respect for this nation and its people is great. Having traveled
to Israel I observed the reality of bomb children's recreation center.
As a father I cannot grasp the chilling fear of wondering if it's okay
for my kids to play today or if they need to go to the reinforced
recreation center. The fear of becoming yet another victim to terrorism
while riding a bus or eating in a cafe could be enough to bring
stagnation to a bustling economy. However, not in Israel. Its people
rally in the name of freedom and out of the hope for a lasting peace.
Their economy--and their nation are strong.
Sixty-six years following its declaration of independence, Israel has
grown into a strategic ally of the United States. Our nation's
commitment to its economy, defense, and people are critically
important.
I look forward to continuing to support Israel and am again happy to
join my colleagues in celebrating its independence.
Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in
support and recognition of the sixty-sixth anniversary of Israel's
independence and to honor a country that has made huge strides since
its independence in 1948. As the only true democracy in the Middle
East, America and Israel share so much. We both celebrate democracy and
freedom. We feel an obligation to make the world a better place for all
people.
The United States has considered the existence of Israel a profound
moral and spiritual imperative and was the first Nation to recognize
the State of Israel. Israel's security is of paramount importance, and
our support for that security is unbreakable. We should take this
occasion to reinforce our bond and renew our commitment to end tyranny
and protect democracy.
On the anniversary of its independence, the United States commends
the nation of Israel as it pursues peace and security for its people.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate and thank Congresswoman Lois
Frankel for organizing this special order to recognize the significance
of Israel's Independence at the kind invitation of Linda Kline.
I was pleased to join Rabbi Jean Eglinton of B'Nai Sholom
Congregation; Senior Pastor Chuck Lawrence of Christ Temple Church;
Martin Greenberg, executive director for the Network of Independent
Communities for the Jewish Federations of North America; Rabbi Victor
Urecki of B'Nai Jacob Congregation; and, City of Huntington, West
Virginia, Mayor Steve Williams for the 4th Annual West Virginia Israel
Independence Celebration at Pullman Square, Huntington, West Virginia
on Sunday, May 4, 2014. I was pleased to deliver the following remarks:
In a State where the official motto is, ``Mountaineers are always
free,'' we cherish independence as much as anyone. And while we are the
first to lend a hand to a neighbor in need, we admire independence in
others. All that West Virginia independence, some would suggest, is
rooted in the rugged living our mountains impose upon us. But I think
it might just run a little deeper than that.
We all know the story of America's Independence Day, July 4th 1776.
But on that same day, the Continental Congress passed a lesser known
resolution appointing to another committee three of the men who had
just helped to draft the Declaration of Independence. Their task was to
design a seal for the newly formed United States of America. Two of
those men, Dr. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, spent
considerable time over the next five weeks working on designs that
included the story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt.
Franklin's design incorporated Moses standing on the shore, extending
his hand over the sea, beckoning Pharaoh's demise. Jefferson's depicted
the Israelis in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day and a pillar of
fire by night.
From our earliest beginnings, our roots have run deep with Israel and
the Jewish people. And that includes our country's Judeo-Christian
heritage that is so deeply engrained in us. It shines especially bright
in America's spirited independence.
So, we quite naturally welcome the opportunity to join in celebrating
Israel's Independence Day.
But there is more to celebrate today than history and heritage. In
today's world, practical realities have to take first order. The simple
fact is that Israel is America's strongest, most dependable ally in the
Middle East. And as I have said, time and again, a stable Middle East
is in the long-term best interests of the United States.
Israel's security is paramount to that regional stability. Syria's
domestic chaos and tragic loss of innocent lives; the uncertainty of a
volatile nuclear threat from nearby Iran; the continual threat of
terrorist organizations infiltrating and working their will in country
after country; all these call for our constant vigilance as a strong
partner in Israel's security needs.
That's why I have cosponsored and strongly supported heavy sanctions
against Iran and its nuclear weapons advancement. That's why I have
supported defensive tools for Israel like the Iron Dome program. And
that's why I have co-sponsored and strongly supported the United
States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act to foster the close alliance we
have enjoyed with Israel over the decades.
Today's anniversary of Israel's independence is a good time to review
and re-assess our partnership. Clearly, Israel has earned its seat at
the table with the independent nations of the world. And she has done
so as a strong U.S. ally. It is incumbent upon our leaders to return
that respect and confidence.
As a world leader, we have a tremendous responsibility to actively
help bring long-term peace to the Middle East. That must always include
a free and independent state of Israel. America's interaction in the
region must reflect the maturity of our place among other Nation states
as a seasoned and substantial diplomatic leader.
My bottom line to any administration and to my colleagues in the
Congress is that the U.S. must be a positive presence in the Middle
East. This is in our and Israel's best interests. That requires the
utmost care in both the words we use and the deeds we employ to
maintain that positive presence.
Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Jewish
state of Israel on the 66th anniversary of its declaration of
independence, Yom Ha'atzmaut. For 66 years, Israel has not only defied
all odds to survive in the face of existential threats, but it has
transformed from a country of agricultural pioneers into the high-tech
powerhouse that it is today.
For 66 years, the United States has had a special friend and
steadfast ally in Israel, dating back to when President Harry Truman
first recognized the State of Israel just 11 minutes after it had
declared independence. Since that time, Israel has become an
indispensable for security cooperation and scientific and technological
research.
Israel is a beacon of democracy and freedom in a region where both
are far too scarce. Israeli citizens of all stripes, including its many
minorities, enjoy extensive personal freedoms and thrive in every
aspect of society, from the military to the Knesset.
In these uncertain times in the Middle East and North Africa, Israel
seems surrounded by chaos. On its southern border, Israel must rely on
Egypt, a country grappling with a rocky transition to democracy, to
intercept the weapons smuggling into the Hamas-run extremist hub of the
Gaza Strip. To the North, in Lebanon, Hezbollah continues to amass its
arsenal of long-range missiles capable of hitting all major cities in
Israel and promises future war. In Syria, the ongoing civil war remains
a source of instability and uncertainty for the entire region,
empowering terrorist groups on both sides of the conflict. The
Palestinian Authority's decision to reconcile with Hamas, a faction
that continues to call for Israel's destruction, has undermined any
progress made during recent U.S.-led peace negotiations. And despite
the interim agreement with world powers, Iran's illicit nuclear program
will remain an existential threat to Israel until the day a final,
verifiable agreement is reached that removes the possibility of a
nuclear Iran.
After years of terrorist attacks, war, and regional instability
knocking on its doorsteps, Israel continues to persevere with
remarkable poise. Israel has become a leader in technology and science,
and its society prospers.
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There is much to be proud of on this Yom Haatzmaut.
As Israel prepares to make difficult decisions about peace and
security, it should know that the United States' commitment to the
Jewish state is unshakeable.
I join my colleagues in wishing the people and government of Israel a
Chag Sameach, a happy holiday on this 66th Independence Day.
____________________