Shelley Berkley: “Earlier today, this House passed the concurrent resolution recognizing the 60th anniversary of the founding of the…”

“Earlier today, this House passed the concurrent resolution recognizing the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel and reaffirming the bonds of close friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel. I was not yet born in 1948 when the State of Israel declared its independence, but I grew up and was born into a family where the fact that Israel had been created meant everything to us, and I want to share with you why that is. I am the granddaughter of immigrants to this country that couldn't speak English. My mother's side of the family comes from Salonica, Greece. Prior to World War II, there was a vibrant Jewish community in Salonica. Over half the population, 80,000 people, were Jewish. By the time the Nazis finished with the Jews of Salonica, there were only 1,000 out of the 80,000 Jews left. On my father's side of the family, we who come from the Russian-Poland border, the entire culture, a vibrant culture that had existed for over 1,000 years, was exterminated along with most of the Jewish population of Poland. I grew up hearing stories from my grandmothers about what it was like in the countries that they came from and how happy they were to be Americans, to be Jewish Americans. My family had a profound sense of patriotism and pride in being Americans, but they also, and we also, are Jewish.”