Ronald Lauder
Ronald LauderWorld Jewish Congress

The World Jewish Congress and Israel’s Mission to the United Nations will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the November 29, 1947 United Nations vote that called for the establishment of a Jewish state, with a reconstruction of events in the very structure that served as the UN headquarters at that time.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will serve as the guest of honor and keynote speaker at the celebration on Tuesday at what is today the Queens Museum, alongside WJC President Ronald S. Lauder and Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon.

Lauder said ahead of the event, “Seventy years ago this week, thirty-three nations recognized the Jewish people’s right to establish a state of its own, an unparalleled decision that brought together an ingathering of Jewish exiles from all over the world.”

“In recent years, we have witnessed many states try to hijack this very same body for political maneuverings, both anti-Zionistic and anti-Semitic. But we must always remember that it was the United Nations, in its essence the representative body of all countries in this world, that affirmed Israel’s legitimate right to statehood,” Lauder added.

“For the Jews of both the Diaspora and the State of Israel today, this country is a homeland and safe haven, regardless of whether they choose to live within its borders or show their support from abroad,” he said.

“Now, as we celebrate 70 years of the international community’s recognition of the Jewish homeland, we must continue to defend Israel’s right to exist in peace and security, and make it clear to the world that today, just as seven decades ago, the State of Israel’s legitimacy will never be up for question,” Lauder concluded.