More than 750 persons, including the Ambassador of Israel and national, state and local dignitaries, paid tribute here yesterday to Warren R. Austin, former Ambassador to the United Nations, for his “outstanding contribution to the cause of freedom and democracy” and his “glorious part in the historic drama of the restoration of Israel.”
Sen. Austin, making one of his rare public appearances at the testimonial staged by the Vermont Jewish Community, accepted a plaque citing his accomplishments and marking the establishment of a Warren R. Austin Forest in Israel. Personal commendations from those present were handed Sen. Austin along with the written testimonials of President Eisenhower; Dag Hammarskjold, UN Secretary General; Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., present UN Ambassador; Cabinet members; leaders of the House and Senate; former President Harry S. Truman and a long list of former colleagues in public life.
Sen. Austin accepted the tributes by citing the “tremendous vital spirit and economic power” which stimulated the Jews to establish a political state in Israel and said: “This accomplishment of an organized state was an epoch in the most venerable, historical and cultural prophecy that has been persisted in throughout the history of the Bible.”
Ambassador Abba Eban of Israel, principal speaker at the testimonial held at the Synagogue Center here, said “it is worth remembering that many of the best chapters in American-Israel friendship have been written in the United Nations.” He emphasized that “nine times out of ten the United States and Israel have stood together in the UN on issues affecting Israel’s interests or in opposition to measures which would have undermined Israel’s security and integrity.”
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.
