Israel President Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who is now recuperating in Switzerland, today issued New Year’s greetings to the Jewish state, to the people of Israel and to Jews throughout the world. Emphasizing that this is the third Rosh Hashanah in the life of the independent Jewish state, Dr. Weizmann said in his message:
“Mankind again is passing through a perilous phase. The fires of war are alight in the Far East, and who knows whether they will not spread. From the bottom of our hearts we pray the world may be spared the horrors of a new conflagration. The wounds of the late war are not yet healed. Millions of people are still unsettled: vast areas are still devastated. The world requires peace and reconstruction more urgently than ever. May the New Year see the early cessation of hostilities on the borders of Asia, and may stable peace restore to mankind the sense of security and the spirit of hope it needs so badly.
“Israel is keenly concerned for the maintenance and strengthening of world peace, both as a member of the family of nations and as a people that has undertaken a task of uncommon difficulty and urgency. We are building a home for a people that has not known for many centuries what a home and security are. We are laying the foundations on which hundreds of thousands of men and women, uprooted and displaced, are rebuilding their shattered lives.
“Great advances have been made in the year which now comes to its close, but we have only begun. May the New Year see the progressive realization of our planned effort of material and special reconstructions. May many more of our brethren come to join us in rebuilding our state, our ancient land. We pray for the peace of the world. We pray in particular for the peace of the Middle East, of which our land is an integral part. Today, as before, our hands are stretched out to our neighbors near and far. Peace and prosperity here, as elsewhere, are indivisible. Without mutual understanding and effective cooperation, there can be no permanent security or progress for any of the nations of the Middle East.
“To our Jewish brethren in many lands, our fervent wishes go out on this New Year’s eve. May the work in their hands be blessed. And may they derive pride and inspiration from Israel’s achievement.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
