Some 1,000 persons attended a reception last night at the Israeli Embassy marking the 35th anniversary of the independence of the Jewish State. Members of the Reagan Administration, Senators and Congressmen and representatives of the Washington area Jewish community were among the guests at the reception which was divided into two sections lasting a total of four hours.
The event was hosted by Acting Ambassador Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Fleur. Netanyahu is expected to stay on in Washington as Charge d’Affairs, the number two spot at the Embassy, when Meir Rosenne takes over as Ambassador sometime in mid-May. Rosenne was hosting his last Independence Day celebra- tion at the Israel Embassy in Paris where he has been the ambassador for four years.
Meanwhile, Washington Mayor Marion Barry has sent an Independence Day greeting to his counterpart in the Israeli capital, Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek. “May our prayers and efforts continue for peace and prosperity in the world,” Barry’s message said.
His message was announced by Leonore Siegelman, chairman of the Commission on International Affairs of the National Capital chapter of the American Jewish Congress, who along with Jeffrey Cohen, a member of the AJCongress Board of Trustees, accompanied Barry to the Jerusalem Conference of Mayors in 1981. During that conference, Barry witnessed the Independence Day celebration in Jerusalem.
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.
