B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
Today the United States Embassy in Israel officially moved to its new location in Jerusalem. This groundbreaking move not only recognizes 70 years of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but also the more than 3,000 years that it has served as the heartbeat and capital of the Jewish people.
Israel has long been the only country in the world whose choice of a capital is not internationally recognized. The lack of that recognition has been a willful denial by the international community of the thousands-year connection of Jews to Jerusalem and an injustice.
Ambassador David Friedman provided opening remarks at the ceremony in Jerusalem: “On this exact day 70 years ago, at almost this exact time, David Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence. Just 11 minutes later, President Harry Truman caused the United States to be the very first nation to recognize the reborn State of Israel. He later regretted that he waited so long. 70 years since that memorable event, almost to the minute, the United States finally takes the next step. A step awaited, voted upon, litigated and prayed for, for all these years. Today we open the United States Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel.”
Several world leaders and officials attended the official events marking the embassy move in Jerusalem and in Washington, D.C. B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin represented B’nai B’rith at the White House, and B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Chairman Haim Katz attended the ceremony in Israel.
We welcome the decisions of those countries that are following the United States and moving their embassies to Jerusalem, and hope many others will soon follow.
Today the United States Embassy in Israel officially moved to its new location in Jerusalem. This groundbreaking move not only recognizes 70 years of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but also the more than 3,000 years that it has served as the heartbeat and capital of the Jewish people.
Israel has long been the only country in the world whose choice of a capital is not internationally recognized. The lack of that recognition has been a willful denial by the international community of the thousands-year connection of Jews to Jerusalem and an injustice.
Ambassador David Friedman provided opening remarks at the ceremony in Jerusalem: “On this exact day 70 years ago, at almost this exact time, David Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence. Just 11 minutes later, President Harry Truman caused the United States to be the very first nation to recognize the reborn State of Israel. He later regretted that he waited so long. 70 years since that memorable event, almost to the minute, the United States finally takes the next step. A step awaited, voted upon, litigated and prayed for, for all these years. Today we open the United States Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel.”
Several world leaders and officials attended the official events marking the embassy move in Jerusalem and in Washington, D.C. B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin represented B’nai B’rith at the White House, and B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Chairman Haim Katz attended the ceremony in Israel.
We welcome the decisions of those countries that are following the United States and moving their embassies to Jerusalem, and hope many others will soon follow.
