[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E784-E785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO ISRAEL'S INDEPENDENCE DAY

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                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2014

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, since its establishment in 1948, Israel has 
been one of America's closest allies. Today, we celebrate Israeli 
Independence Day, or Yom Ha'atzmaut, to honor the proclamation of State 
of Israel. As a strong supporter of Israel, I join millions of my 
fellow Americans in wishing Israelis a Happy Independence Day.
   Zionism, the movement to create a Jewish homeland, emerged in the 
1800s as a response to centuries of anti-Semitism. Theodore Herzl, a 
Zionist pioneer, created the World Zionist Organization to initiate the 
preliminary steps to attaining a Jewish state free from persecution. 
Waves of immigrants flowed

[[Page E785]]

towards the region over the next half century, culminating in European 
Jewry's attempts to flee Hitler in the 1930s.
   After World War II, the desire for a Jewish state became even 
stronger and world wide support for Zionism grew as the truth of the 
Holocaust was revealed in all its horror. On May 14, 1948, the Jewish 
Agency declared the creation of the State of Israel.
   Conflicts with the countries surrounding Israel meant that Israel 
was not the safe haven the Jewish people had envisioned. Nonetheless, 
and despite the dangers, Israel has thrived as an oasis of idealism, 
technological wonder, and democracy in the midst of the desert. Strong 
support for Israel is a core national security interest of the United 
States, as well as an expression of the decades-long alliance between 
our two nations.
   I ask all Members to join me in commemorating the 66th anniversary 
of Israel's Independence.

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