All of my life, Israel has been a symbol of the triumph of hope and faith. After 1945, our battered world desperately needed to be lifted out of post-war darkness and despair. After so much pain and suffering, humanity needed comfort and optimism. After so much death and destruction, we needed renewal. The renewal of the dream of a better and more civilized world. We needed to be inspired and it was the Jewish people who suffered most who provided that inspiration.
By their example, they led the world back to the light. From shattered Europe and other countries, near and far, the descendants of Abrhahan, Isaac and Jacob made their way home. Their pilgramage was the culmination of a 2000 year dream it is a tribute to the unquenchable human aspiration for freedom and a testament to the indominable spirit of the Jewish People.
In the 60 years that followed, Israel blossomed into one of the most successful countries on Earth. A land of ingenuity and enterprise, an oasis of agricultural genius, a wellspring of fine art and high culture, a model of democracy, Israel is truly the miracle in the desert.
But, the source of Israel's strength and success is its commitment to the universal values of all civilized people, freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Soon, I hope to have the opportunity to travel to Israel to see the miracle with my own eyes. To see how millions of people from all over the Earth with their countless different languages and traditions came together to build a modern, prosperous, vibrant democratic country.
I want to see first hand what the survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants have accomplished for theirs is truly an achievement of resilience and renewal unsurpassed in the annals of human history. Considering how far Israel has come in so short a time, in the face of such seemingly insurmountable odds, I can foresee no dark force, no matter how strong, that could succeed in dimming the light of freedom and democracy that shines from within Israel.