‘Flag of Israel Raised Over Jewish Agency’

The following is an article that I wrote, which appeared in the May 9, 2024, edition of the Washington Jewish Week:

When Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben-Gurion, who later became Israel’s first prime minister, declared the establishment of the sovereign state of Israel on May 14, 1948, it was a watershed moment that would become forever etched in the hearts and minds of worldwide Jewry. Ben-Gurion’s historic pronouncement, which was followed by President Harry Truman’s recognition of the fledgling Jewish state, came after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on Nov. 29, 1947, to create a Jewish state.

In this month’s installment of “Remember When,” we look back at our coverage of this extraordinary event that altered the course of Jewish history. In an article titled “Flag of Israel Raised Over Jewish Agency” in the May 21, 1948, issue of the National Jewish Ledger, which subsequently became the Washington Jewish Week, the founding of the state of Israel was celebrated prominently on the front page.

Accompanied by a large photo, the story recounted the scene when the Israeli flag was raised by the Jewish Agency of Washington, D.C., on May 14, 1948. Rabbi Zemach Green of Ohev Sholem Congregation who also served as co-chair of the Rabbinical Council of Washington, donned a white robe and tallit, and delivered a heartfelt prayer at what was an incredibly exciting and emotional time for the Greater Washington, D.C., Jewish community and for Jews throughout the world.

“We pour forth our hearts unto Thee, our Father in Heaven with thanksgiving and hallelujahs for Thy wonderous deeds unto the people of Israel, and for Thy grace with us of this generation to be privileged to live and witness the realization of the ancient dream, the age-old dream that was begotten from sacred tradition, nurtured with the people’s lifeblood, reared in the crucible of martyrdom and fostered in the eternal hope and trust in God,” Rabbi Green said.

“Out of the soil of the Holy Land, drenched with the pure blood of its builders and defenders, shall grow and blossom forth a Tree of Life for all inhabitants of the land and for all who strive to settle thereon — a Tree of Life in whose shade Jew and Arab shall peacefully live and work together, for the mutual welfare and advancement of the two peoples, and the promotion of peace,” he continued.

Seventy-six years later, the state of Israel is thriving, although the sentiments expressed by Rabbi Green about a Tree of Life under which all inhabitants of the land would live in peace and harmony have not yet come to fruition. This year in particular, as we mark Yom Ha’atzmaut and celebrate the fact that we have a Jewish homeland, we are keenly aware of the challenges that we continue to face, and we yearn for a time when our brothers and sisters in Israel can finally live in peace.