The country of Israel was established 75 years ago and one of its founders was David Ben Gurion. His grandson Alon Ben Gurion was in Naples this week to talk about the role of Israel in the world.
He quoted his grandfather’s vision for the state of Israel:
“Our historic yearning has been for a new society built on liberty, equality, tolerance, mutual aid, and love for man. A society without exploitation and discrimination, slavery or tyranny. Our stance in the world will not be determined by our supposed material wealth nor by our military might but by the moral light of our understanding. And although there are some shadows, among them heavy shadows in our lives now, we have the grounds to believe that we can be an example nation.”
He reflected on the rise in antisemitism in the United States.
“You don’t have time for me to answer that question,” said Ben Gurion. “Antisemitism is a big topic. It was there before the second World War. It was during the Second World War. It’s all written in the books of history. People just have got to read it.”
Ben Gurion spoke at Artis Naples on behalf of the Jewish National Fund-USA.
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