PREFILED    DEC 23 2019

REFERENCE TITLE: supporting Israel; recognizing Jerusalem

State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-fourth Legislature Second Regular Session 2020

HR 2001

Introduced by Representatives Blackman: Biasiucci, Carroll

 

A RESOLUTION

 

Supporting Israel, recognizing jerusalem as israel's capital and commending the jewish people for their many contributions.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

Whereas, Israel declared its independence and self-governance on May 14, 1948, with the goal of reestablishing its God-given and legally recognized land as a homeland for the Jewish people; and

Whereas, the Jewish people, like all peoples, have a right to exercise self-determination and a right to work to their collective good in their sovereign State of Israel; and

Whereas, each sovereign nation, under international law and custom, may designate its own capital; and

Whereas, for 3,000 years, Jerusalem has been Judaism's holiest city and the focal point of Jewish religious devotion; and

Whereas, on December 6, 2017, President Donald Trump announced the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.  The United States embassy was relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel; and

Whereas, the Jewish people, who constitute less than 1% of the world's population, have made enormous contributions to humanity, earning prodigious accomplishments and much-deserved acclaim; and

Whereas, 194 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to Jewish people, 12 of them to Israeli citizens, accounting for 22% of all Nobel Prizes awarded; and

Whereas, Albert Einstein, one of the most famous scientists of the twentieth century, established the foundations for much of modern physics and had a profound impact on everything from quantum theory to nuclear power; and

Whereas, Jewish people have made great advancements in the field of medicine.  Dr. Jonas Salk created the first polio vaccine, Dr. Simon Baruch performed the first successful operation for appendicitis and Dr. Paul Ehrlich cured syphilis; and

Whereas, Haym Solomon and Isaac Moses created the first modern banking institutions, paving the way for other Jewish titans of finance, including Goldman Sachs, Rothschild, Wells Fargo, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and many more; and

Whereas, Jewish participation in the entertainment industry is legendary.  Many of the most famous actors, actresses, directors, producers and musicians and the founding fathers of all of the Hollywood movie studios are or were Jewish; and

Whereas, Theodore Judah was the chief architect and engineer for the American Transcontinental railroad; and

Whereas, the famous poem of Jewish poet Emma Lazarus appears as the inscription on the Statue of Liberty; and

Whereas, Jewish people account for 53% of the recipients of the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and 14% for Fiction; and

Whereas, Jewish religious leaders have made many contributions to society and the modern world.  They include Isaac Abarbanel, a noted theologian and philosopher, Aha of Shabcha, a Babylonian rabbi and famous scholar, Sir Hermann Gollancz, an English rabbi and authority on Hebrew language and literature, and Gustav Gottheil, a rabbi and one of the most influential Reform Jewish leaders; and

Whereas, many Jewish Americans have served honorably in the United States military and include Colonel Aaron Bank, founder of the Army Special Forces, Admiral Jeremy Michael Boorda, the first Chief of Naval Operations to have risen from enlisted ranks, and Lewis Morrison, the first Black-Jewish commissioned officer in both the Confederate and Union armies; and

Whereas, the State of Arizona and Israel have enjoyed cordial relations since 1948 and are trade partners, sharing developments and collaborating in education, technology, agriculture, medicine, solar energy, telecommunications, homeland security and numerous other fields.

Therefore

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona:

1.  That the Members of the House of Representatives support Israel as a Jewish state in its legal, historical, moral and God-given right of self-governance, and recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

2.  That the Members of the House of Representatives commend and extol the achievements of the many influential Jewish religious leaders and renowned Jewish trailblazers in the areas of science, medicine, the military, the arts, finance and business.