KADDISHEL
A Life Reborn
The War of Independence On May 14, 1948, the British withdrew from Palestine, and the pre- Israeli government, the People’s Council, with representatives from the Zionist movement and the Jewish community in Pales- tine, proclaimed the new Medinat Yisrael (State of Israel). Here are some excerpts from the proclamation: “The State of Israel will be open to the immigration of Jews from all countries of their dispersion; will promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; will be based on the principles of liberty, justice and peace as conceived by the Prophets of Israel; will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of religion, race, or sex; will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, education and culture; will safe- guard the Holy Places of all religions; and will loyally uphold the principles of the United Nations Charter.... “In the midst of wanton aggression, we yet call upon the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve the ways of peace and play their part in the development of the State, on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its bodies and institutions — provisional and permanent. “We extend our hand in peace and neighborliness to all the neighboring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is prepared to make its contribution to the prog- ress of the Middle East as a whole. “Our call goes out to the Jewish people all over the world to ral- ly to our side in the task of immigration and development, and to stand by us in the great struggle for the fulfillment of the dream of generations for the redemption of Israel....” The next day, David Ben-Gurion broadcasted his first address to the nation saying, “Yesterday an event occurred in Israel, and only the next generations can fully estimate its historical meaning. On us, each and every one of us, the responsibility these days is to only build with love and belief, through Jewish brotherhood, the
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