^#smrgSAHAF 1948-19998 Israel at 50 : From Vision to Life - 1998

November 29, 1947, hundreds of thousands of Jews around the O globe, their ears to the radio, listened intently as the vote was taken, on United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181. Would « 2000-year-old dream, a prayer on the lips of generations, become a reality? On May 14, 1948, in accordance with this resolution, promineny Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel in the ancient Jewish homeland.

Israel is an old-new country, the 4000-year-old birthplace of the Jewish people. As the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel states: “Here the Jewish people's spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books.” Despite the two millennia of exile, Jews have always maintained a presence in their land, neither forgetting nor severing their bond with it. Today, as in ancient times, Israel is a country where, both geographically and culturally, east meets west and past touches present, creating a vibrant and dynamic country. The “ingathering of the exiles,” bringing to Israel Jews from the four corners of the globe, is made evident in its 4 mosaic population — nearly six million people from a myriad of ethnic, religious, cultural and social backgrounds. Indeed, Israel is a new society, rooted in the ancient past and still evolving today.

The first fifty years of Israel's existence were marked by both war and the striving for peace. 4 yay Israel has witnessed massive waves of immigration eq a from over 70 countries, social integration and ar religious diversification, technological and scientific advancement, cultural pluralism, economic growth and development, industrial modernization, language revival and the varied goals and challenges of a modern democracy.