Amb. Gil Haskel's Greetings on the occasion of Israel’s 56th Independence Day
Dear Friends,
It is a great honor to convey to you my warmest wishes on the occasion of Israel’s 65th Independence Day. This is a day of celebration for the entire Jewish people. On this day we celebrate Israel’s democratic values and institutions, and our Jewish way of life.
On Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day, the day preceding this celebration, we devote it to the memory of those who gave their lives for the achievement of the country's independence and its continued existence. On this day, the entire nation remembers its debt and expresses eternal gratitude to its sons and daughters who gave their lives for the achievement of the country's independence and its continued existence. It is a day of collective and personal anguish mingled with awe and honour for the fallen.
We celebrate our independent judiciary and free press; our pioneering creativity in the sciences, medicine and agriculture; our success in absorbing millions of immigrants and refugees from other lands; our cultural richness and diversity; and our ability to defend our citizens from harm. We celebrate the living dream which is the modern rebirth of the Jewish people in its homeland.
Sixty five years after the regaining of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel, despite the frustrations of the yester years, the Israeli society remains united, determined and full of belief in our on-going search for a just peace with our neighbours.
I wish the Jewish people in Kenya, Israel and the Diaspora a happy Independence Day on which we look forward to the continued realization of the sovereign aims of the State of Israel and the realization of the dreams and prayers of the Jewish People in every generation.
Best wishes to you and to your families.
Gil Haskel