My good friends at the Jewish Agency, in the MASA program, in the Prime Minister's Office, but most of all, all of you who came from all over the Jewish world. I came here tonight to say thank you.
Thank you for the many thousands who came to Israel from across the world; from the United States, from Canada, from Great Britain, from France – merci beaucoup, from Australia. From South Africa, from Mexico, from Argentina, from the Soviet Union, well no, from the Former Soviet Union, from Russia, and the many other countries, as well as dozens and dozens of other countries.
Thank you for coming to Israel. Thank you for supporting Israel. Thank you for strengthening Jewish identity. But I have one main message for you: Israel is your home. Make aliyah.
My friends, wherever you come from, wherever you come from, you can ask your grandparents, they may be a bit young for this, but they, they can tell you from their parents, what the world was like for the Jewish people before there was a Jewish state. It's very hard to express the hopelessness, the powerlessness, the absence of a sense of collective purpose and the ability to control our destiny that was the lot of Jews for so many generations. Our generation, mine and yours, was given a precious gift by the generation that built the Jewish state. Before them, for thousands of years, Jews had to shed an ocean of tears. They crossed a sea of prayers, they made endless efforts, endless sacrifices, to make the dream of a Jewish state become a reality, and these, our forebearers, finally fulfilled a vision that inspired our people for two millennia. It's a vision that helped us bear the suffering that marked our history like that of no other people. The founders of Israel fulfilled a dream of a hundred previous Jewish generations – the dream of returning to our homeland and rebuilding our national life in an independent Jewish state with Jerusalem as its capital.
This state has given the Jews for the first time in two thousand years, first of all the power to defend ourselves, the power to determine our future, the power to build our future. It gave us the ability to bring in Jews from all over the world, millions of Jews, millions of Jews from each one of your countries. Each of your countries is represented here. Jews from a hundred lands came to one land to build a common future. And after only six days, six decades, you're absolutely right, Am Yisrael Chai, and he lives here, and he lives elsewhere because we live here.
And today, six decades after the founding of the State of Israel, it’s become a marvel of creativity and innovation that is changing our lives for the better. It's a state that contributes each day to the world by expanding the boundaries of science and medicine. It's a state that reflects the vitality and dynamism of our people in every area of life –from arts to sports to culture.
And it is up to you, the younger generations of Jews, in Israel and from around the Jewish world, to defend and develop and preserve the Jewish state. You each have your own aspirations. You're young, and youth always has ambitions and dreams and hopes but you're young Jews and you can couple your own individual aspiration to the dream of helping build our future together here in the Jewish state.
It's up to you, Eera (אירה) Fleitman. Eera is a 23 year-old doctor from the Ukraine who participated in the "Doctors" program to take the medical licensing examination. I have good news for you. Eera passed the examination. You'll be a wonderful doctor, here in Israel.
And it's up to you, Jason Renin. Jason is a 27 year-old Californian who is now an intern in the Ministry of Finance. Jason, you'll be joining the best people in our Government and I want you to help us cut down the bureaucracy. You'll make a wonderful, wonderful official.
It's up to you, Eera, and it's up to you, Jason, and it's up to you, and it’s up to all of us. By participating in MASA, you have shown that you are ready to stand up with Israel, and do what's right to preserve our future.
Now, usually, usually as you know, the MASA annual meeting takes place in Jerusalem. This year we deviated from that, because this year is the one hundredth birthday of the first Hebrew city, Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is a great city. It's vibrant, it's fun, it's a real international city. And I hope that you take the time to see it. We love it and we love Jerusalem. So next year, next year, we'll be celebrating again in Jerusalem, our united capital, our eternal capital. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and Israel is the Jewish state. It's the one place in the world where every Jew can find a home. It's the one place in the world which guarantees that every Jew feels at home. And just think of your feelings here, in Tel Aviv, in the Galilee, in the Negev, in Jerusalem. Think of your feelings when you go to the Wall and you touch those stones. This is your home. This is where you can feel at home. This is your country and your presence here reminds us all that your generation is anchored in our common past and committed to our common future. And with your commitment, I am sure, with your talent, with your enthusiasm, with your diverse backgrounds that form a common background of the Jewish people, we can build our future together here for all generations to come.
So now I have one last message for you: Go and have a good time and enjoy yourselves. This year in Tel Aviv, next year in Jerusalem. Thank you very much. Thank you. Shalom.
