David Thomas: “Mr. Speaker, the Speaker of the House and the leadership join me in urging all Members to support what is an occasion…”

“Mr. Speaker, the Speaker of the House and the leadership join me in urging all Members to support what is an occasion that I think will allow us to focus on our humanness in a way that we are rarely able to do it. In the resolution talking about the celebration of Jerusalem in the Rotunda of its 3,000th anniversary, it says: ``Whereas Jerusalem, the City of Peace, has held a unique place and exerted a unique influence on the moral development of Western Civilization;'' I think Jerusalem plays an even more significant role than that, if that is possible. I think it is because Jerusalem is one of the places in the world that is truly a crossroads for a majority of people in the world, because when we look at the development and history of religions, those things that have occurred in and around the city of Jerusalem have not only sent fundamental, positive repercussions East and West, but they have somehow been tied to defining developmental periods throughout the history of the world. Although we have not yet located the center of the universe, I think in terms of man's experience on this planet, the city of Jerusalem, along with very few other places in this world, Jerusalem deserves being placed in that category. I think it is entirely appropriate that the Rotunda of the United States Capitol be used as the place for the recognition of the 3,000 years of inhabitance of the city of Jerusalem.”