Orrin Hatch: “as President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, I ask my colleagues to join me in marking a special day. Exactly 70 years…”

“as President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, I ask my colleagues to join me in marking a special day. Exactly 70 years ago today, the State of Israel was established. On the same day, the United States was the first country to recognize Israel's statehood. I applaud President Trump's decision to commemorate this historic anniversary with the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. In the 70 years since its founding, Israel has shared an unbreakable bond with the United States. I am pleased to be a friend of Israel's and to have played an integral role in strengthening relations between our two countries. It is difficult for me to express the profound reverence I have for the Jewish people. As a symbol of my respect, I wear a mezuzah around my neck and have done so every day for almost four decades--I think, actually, for more than four decades. The mezuzah reminds me of the affinity I, as a member of the Mormon faith, hold for the Jewish people and their history. Both Israel and Utah were settled by religious minorities who sought refuge from persecution--a shared history that deepens our devotion to democracy and our love of freedom. Although my schedule does not allow me to be in Israel today, perhaps it is even more appropriate that I make these remarks here rather than in Jerusalem, where I would like to be. After all, today should be seen as an American holiday just as it is an Israeli one.…”