WHEREAS, 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel, which was officially declared an independent nation on May 14, 1948; and

WHEREAS, The people of Israel proclaimed the establishment of the sovereign and independent State of Israel, and the United States government established full diplomatic relations after Israel’s first election in 1949; and

WHEREAS, The establishment of the modern State of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people followed the destruction of much of the European Jewry during the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, Israel has much to commemorate and celebrate, most notably that it has established, in its 70 years of existence, the most successful and politically stable democracy in a Middle East that continues to experience great turmoil; and

WHEREAS, The people of Israel enjoy a dynamic society with a unique and vital economic, political, cultural, and intellectual life and strive for peace with security and dignity for themselves and their neighbors; and

WHEREAS, Israel has developed some of the world’s leading universities; and

WHEREAS, Israel has developed an advanced, entrepreneurial economy, is among the world’s leaders of the high-tech industry, and is at the forefront of research and development in the fields of renewable energy sources and medicine; and

WHEREAS, Israel regularly sends humanitarian aid, search and rescue teams, mobile hospitals, and other emergency supplies to help victims of disasters around the world; and

WHEREAS, Since 2015, California and Israel have had a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which established a formal relationship between the two parties to foster economic cooperation and economic development, facilitate joint industrial research and development, and enhance business relationships and educational opportunities between all Israeli and California universities to foster job creation and incubate global solutions from joint California-Israeli innovation initiatives; and

WHEREAS, California is home to a vibrant Israeli American immigrant community; and

WHEREAS, For over 2,000 years, Jews living in other parts of the world have maintained a profound spiritual and emotional connection to the Land of Israel, and there has been continuous Jewish presence in the land comprising the modern State of Israel; and

WHEREAS, With the 70th observance culminating in May 2018, Israel will celebrate its anniversary with events marking the birth and development of the state, the struggle to find peace and security, and its hopes for the future; now, therefore, be it