Governor Gerald Balilies has announced the creation of a special commission to promote and expand the economic development, educational and cultural opportunities between Virginia and Israel, in commemoration of the upcoming 40th anniversary of the founding of the State
The Governor also directed the commission, to be called the Virginia-Israel Commission, to plan a year-long program for the exchange of both people and ideas. Students, public officials, and individuals of demonstrated achievement in the fields
Balilies said the work of the commission would precede his own visit to Israel, in April of 1988, as the head of a delegation of distinguished Virginians traveling there in recognition of the 40th anniversary
Premier Shimon Peres of Israel last week sent a letter to the Governor welcoming the creation of the commission, and said that “I will direct the appropriate ministries and officials of the Government of Israel to give
Peres said the action creating the commission was an “historic stop in the broadening of relations between the citizens of the State of Israel and the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia, specifically, and the United
A 15-member planning council will be appointed by commission chairperson Neil November of Richmond to direct the actions of the commission. A special emphasis will be placed on economic development opportunities tied to educational and
The Governor said the commission’s educational initiatives would include a comprehensive examination of the Holocaust, its historical impact, and the questions it poses for a democratic society.
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.
