JewishPost.com - One Billion Ways to Celebrate Israel's 64th Birthday

By Hanry J. Levy

Photo: Gloria Starr Kins Israel Bonds under the leadership of Izzy Tapoohi, President and CEO; Richard Hirsch; Chiarman of the Board; David Halpern, Vice Chair of the board; with some key leaders present a check to Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel, for $1,058,921,000, representing total bond sales for 2011. Photo: Gloria Starr Kins

Photo: Gloria Starr Kins From left: Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Wiesenfeld, Principal of Berstein Global Wealth Management with Thomas Di Napoli, NYS Comptroller.

Photo: Gloria Starr Kins From left: Congressman Eliot Engel; Malcolm Hoenlein, Exec Vice Chair and CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations; Gilad Erdan, Israel's Minister of Environment Protection; and Congressman Jerrold Nadler.

Photo: Gloria Starr Kins From left: Consul General Eliska Zigova, of the Czech Republic, Consul General Koula Sophianou, of Cyprus and President of the Society of Foreign Officers and Consul General of Greece, Georgious Iliopoulos.

Photo: Gloria Starr Kins Marijan Gubic, Consul General of Croatia in New York.

On April 28th at the Chelsea Piers, Israel Bonds presented Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel to New York, a check for $1,058,921,000 representing total State of Israel Bonds sales for 2011. David Halpern, Vice Chairman of State of Israel Israel Bonds' Board of Directors said that usually when someone receives a check for $1 billion they say "Thank you" but we are the ones who thank you and we will continue to be there and support Israel. This festive occasion included inspiring speeches, music by the performing group DIDA, impeccable hosting services by Fox News anchor, Dari Alexander and a respectable showing by members of the Diplomatic Corps and hundreds of supports of Israel.

Ambassador Aharoni sang the well deserved praises of the State of Israel. He recounted Ben Gurion's words, "In order to be considered a realist one must believe in miracles".He said Israel was "a miracle that was created by a mosaic of different groups' and that in 64 years it achieved more than any other nation on earth and is "characterized first and foremost by her love of life".

Israel's Minister of Environmental Protection, Gilad Erdan, told those present that Israel will be taking a leading role in the upcoming Rio Summit in Brazil which will focus on issues of sustainable development. With Israel's excellence in water technologies, it recognizes its responsibility to share this knowledge with its Palestinian neighbors and countries in need, which is part of its Jewish heritage. Then, of course, Israel was described as being on the front lines regarding Iran's quest to join the nuclear bomb club. He reiterated that the maintenance of any country's independence is the right of self defense and national security.

As the Jewish community was making preparations for the annual Celebrate Israel Parade June 3rd, even though there was the usual political undertones over whether certain groups should be permitted to march, with over 200 organizations represented and about one million participants expected, unity for the love, support and pride in Israel was expected to make this a great day to be Jewish.