Eighteen foreign ambassadors joined dozens of Jewish organizational leaders, Israel activists, journalists and social media influencers at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem on May 14, the 77th anniversary of Israel’s establishment, for a gala celebration hosted by the Israel Forever Foundation on Declaration Day.
The event, billed by Israel Forever Foundation CEO Elana Heideman as a reaffirmation of “the legal, moral and historical rights of Israel and the Jewish people,” was broadcast live to supporters of Israel in the Jewish state and around the globe.
“On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion stood before the world and declared the independence of the Jewish state in our ancestral homeland,” Heideman wrote. “It was not just a political act—it was the fulfillment of generations of yearning, struggle and faith.”
She added, “Now, in 2025, we are called to do the same. At a time when Israel’s legitimacy is under attack, when antisemitism is surging around the globe and when truth is too often drowned out by noise, Declaration Day is your opportunity to rise above it all. To stand proud. To make your voice heard.”
In her opening address, Heideman called on everyone, everywhere, in the spirit of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, “to stand with the Jewish nation, not only in celebration but in commemoration of the history that we come tonight together to reaffirm.”
“Standing up for Israel is standing up for the future of mankind and for the future of peace,” she declared to warm applause from the audience. She entreated people abroad to “fight for the rights of Israel and Jews and all of humanity,” adding, “We don’t have a narrative; we have a truth; a truth that we can be proud of.”
Noting that Israel’s Declaration of Independence contained 664 words, she then invited a string of speakers to share their meaningful messages in 664 words on this Declaration Day.
Jewish News Syndicate’s award-winning columnist and senior contributing editor, Ruthie Blum, was first up, representing both JNS and the Israeli media. “Some people think of me as a purveyor of gloom and doom, because of my pessimism when I write,” she said. “But actually, I would like to say something that is the optimistic part of the pessimism. None of the bad news that we’re hearing is anything new. And that means we got through it and we will get through it.”
She shared that she had made a lot of mistakes in her life, but moving to Israel from the United States in 1977 was not one of them. “Never have I been sorry and not after Oct. 7 either,” she said. “And that is because we have truth on our side.”
At JNS, she said, “Our mission is to tell the truth... and being pro-Israel is on the side of truth. The Jewish people are an ancient people. This is the land of the Jews. The State of Israel was recognized. It is legitimate. And rather than being warmongers, as we’re accused of, we’re peacemongers. If anything has caused us a headache, it’s our seeking peace at every opportunity. It is therefore easy to tell the truth about that because it is the truth.”
Knesset Member Ohad Tal (Religious Zionism) echoed Heideman’s call “to stand with Israel” at this difficult time in its history.
“You know, friends, once again Israel is under attack, not just by rockets but by those who question the very right of the Jewish people to exist. I was thinking, while we’re talking about this day, Declaration Day, that the Jewish people basically broke all rules of history, of physics, by returning here to this land after 2,000 years of exile.”
The big question, Tal said, is why the Jewish people returned to their homeland. “Have we returned only for ourselves, or as some people say, to have the right to defend ourselves? Or did we come back to bring a new message to the world? I think the second option is the right option. We came here not just for our sake, but really for the sake of humanity, to bring a blessing to the entire world.”
Tal thanked those who participated in the event and everyone watching, appealing to all supporters of Israel to “keep standing with strength and pride for the one and only Jewish state.”
