A record or more than $225 million in Israel Bonds was set Sunday night at Miami’s annual Bonds event, attended by Guest of Honor Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz.
He said that investors worldwide purchased $1.1 billion bonds for all of 2011, bringing to $33.4 billion the amount of bonds sold since their inception in 1951. Buying Bonds is an investment and not a donation, Steinitz pointed out. Israel Bonds are considered one of the safest and best investments in the world.
Steinitz told the annual event in Miami he recently has reached an agreement with Israel Bonds “to concentrate not only on purchases of government bonds but also on investments in Israel…to allow us to keep up our high level of growth and low unemployment rate.”
Economic growth in Israel last year far outstripped that of the United States and most other Western countries, and the jobless rate is one of the lowest in the world.
Steinitz said, “I urge every Jew in the United States to invest in Israel.” The Finance Ministry previously has emphasized, Israel has never defaulted in the payment of principal or interest on any of its internal or external indebtedness."
More than 65 states and cities have invested in Israel, and proceeds are used for economic development projects for the national infrastructure and for creating jobs.