The freedom of the city of Beersheba was conferred on Dr. Nelson Glueck, president of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, at a special ceremony held at the Consulate General of Israel in New York. This honor was accorded to Dr. Glueck in recognition of his outstanding contribution in the field of archaeological research in the Negev.
Dr. Glueck received the award from David Tuvyahu, Mayor of Beersheba, who is currently visiting the United States. Mr. Tuvyahu presented Dr. Glueck with a scroll especially flown in from Israel. He emphasized the “love and devotion characterizing Dr. Glueck’s many years of tireless work which unearthed the glorious past of this arid area thus paving the way for its present revival.”
Avraham Harman, Consul General of Israel in New York, praised Dr. Glueck’s “monumental work” in revealing the rich civilization of Israel’s past. Mr. Harman also read messages of greetings from Israel’s President Itzhak Ben Zvi, Prime Minister Moshe Sharett and Ambassador Abba Eban.
Dr. Glueck in his acceptance address said: “People say that the Negev is a wilderness. This is not true. The Negev, its mountains, mounds, wadis and plains are beautiful. Roaming through this beautiful country one feels the intimate link between the past and future, from the days of our forefather Abraham to the valiant and devoted pioneers of Israel who are bent on reviving the glory of the past. In uncovering the treasures of the past from four, three and two thousand years ago against the background of the new efforts and endeavors now taking place in Israel, one is proud to be a Jew, to a partner in the great civilization which has emerged from this land.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
