“The people of Israel and of the United States are a beautiful combination, standing together in the struggle against terrorism” Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister David Levy told more than 800 people during an Independence Day celebration last Wednesday evening.
The celebration, “Jerusalem, A Praise in all the Earth,” was sponsored by an interreligious National Committee chaired by Dr. W. A. Criswell, a former president of the 13 million member Southern Baptist Convention, and pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, the largest Baptist church in the world.
During the festivities, Criswell presented Levy with a proclamation, which stated, in part, “We extend to the people and nation of Israel our full measure of love, friendship and support.”
Criswell told the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also Minister of Housing and Construction, that his visit to Dallas “has strengthened the relationship between our citizens and the valiant people of Israel.”
In his address, Levy stated that his generation “has taken and oath that our enemies will not drive us from the land of Israel. Our heroes are youngsters,” he continued, “youngsters of eighteen and nineteen who are ready to sacrifice everything because they know the prayers of their people are with them. They know that for us it is forbidden to lose a war.”
Proceeds of the celebration will benefit the American Friends of Beit Halochem, a project of the Bnai Zion Foundation, and will be used to construct the Beit Halochem Center in Jerusalem, serving Israel’s disabled veterans.
INVITES BUSINESS LEADERS TO ISRAEL
In addition to participating in Wednesday evening’s celebration, Levy met the next morning with leaders of the Dallas Jewish community at a breakfast sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith and the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. He then toured the Dallas World Trade Center and addressed a luncheon of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce.
Discussing Israeli advances in high technology, Levy also briefed the audience on the Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Israel. “The agreement presents unparalled incentive for any investor,” he stated, inviting Dallas business leaders to visit Israel to examine investment possibilities. Responding, John Johnson, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, announced that discussions will begin soon concerning a Dallas economic mission to Israel.
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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.
