"The 20th Century saw the rise and fall of many nationalist
movements and not all (or very few) of the outgrowths of these
movements
were positive. However, the focus of my life has been the Zionist
movement
and the establishment and development of the State of Israel. In many
ways
the history of Zionism mirrors all the significant events of the past
century.
Following the Second World War and the horrors of the Holocaust the
possibility
of creating a Jewish State was finally real. Many different forces had
to
converge to make this happen, including the establishment of the United
Nations.
I spent my life working for the Jewish State and seeking to make it a reality. When the State of Israel was established in 1948, I spent the next 50 years working to create a strong, democratic and pluralistic society and a beautiful capital city. Jerusalem brings together all the great conflicts of the past in its archaeology, its religious significance to all the monotheistic faiths and its political importance in the 20th Century Arab/Israeli wars.
The 20th Century has been full of technological advances and great leaps of discovery in the fields of science and humanities but it also has been full of violence and bloodshed. I look back over wars and terror but I still see the great accomplishments. There is much still to do in Israel and the conflict with the Palestinians must be resolved but we have come so far. The 20th Century provided the openness and the necessary education for all people, to realize their potential to understand their own needs and that often led to the development of nationalist movements.
The Jewish people spent 2000 years in exile. The 20th Century brought them back to their homeland and their first political independence in many centuries. In my life this has been the most significant event of the 20th Century."
