Declaration of Establishment of State of Israel

The Israeli Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 by David Ben-Gurion. It declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the State of Israel. The event is celebrated annually in Israel with a national holiday Yom Ha'atzmaut on 5 Iyar of every year according to the Hebrew calendar.

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If you will it, it is no dream… Theodor Herzl
In the year 5657 (1897), at the summons of the spiritual father of the Jewish State, Theodore Herzl, the First Zionist Congress convened and proclaimed the right of the Jewish people to national rebirth in its own country

The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books.

After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.

Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment, Jews strove in every successive generation to re-establish themselves in their ancient homeland. In recent decades they returned in their masses. Pioneers, ma'pilim [(Hebrew) - immigrants coming to Eretz-Israel in defiance of restrictive legislation] and defenders, they made deserts bloom, revived the Hebrew language, built villages and towns, and created a thriving community controlling its own economy and culture, loving peace but knowing how to defend itself, bringing the blessings of progress to all the country's inhabitants, and aspiring towards independent nationhood….

Excerpts from the Israeli Declaration of Independence. Visit pajewishendowment.org/Israeli Declaration of Independence for additional details.

 

Proclamation of Declaration of Independence Facts