Lebanese Jewish Community President Joseph Dichy on the Independence of Lebanon, 1943.

Like all Lebanese, we welcome with joy the return to constitutional life. We have already entered the constructive phase of independence and we have the courage to pursue our efforts by all means possible to consolidate and elevate the edifice equally dear to all patriots.

The call for national unity has been voiced by the president of the Lebanese Republic and the eminent heads of all religious communities has profoundly echoed in our hearts. We recognize that to assure the prosperity and duration of our cherished country, all spiritual families which compose it need unity and solidarity. We adhere with enthusiasm to the (national) Pact and attaining the aspirations of Lebanon.

On the occasion of Lebanon’s Independence Day and upon the anticipated Presidential election, we pray for the stability and prosperity of our dear country. Current President, Émile Lahoud today expressed his belief in the Lebanon of religious diversity and plurality, in “Lebanon the message”, also the motto of our entire website. Today we have the opportunity to realize a new day for Lebanon; we yearn for the Lebanon we exemplify on this website, the Lebanon of one people, one civilization. Though our people have been disappointed for years with the dire circumstances in the country, there can never be any great disappointment where there is no great love. For the first time in over 35 years, we have a chance to build the new Lebanon and ultimately the progress of our country is dependent upon the determination of our people, not the selfish interests roaming the foreign capitals of the world under the guise of fraternity, ideology, history or humble sympathy. We, the Lebanese people, Jews, Christians and Muslims are the guardians of our destiny. The medieval laws of survival are obsolete; survival is contingent upon coexistence and not annihilation of Lebanon’s beautiful religious and cultural mosaic. On this day of National Independence, we unite around the universally applicable laws of sovereignty, integrity, dignity, and coexistence of all our people with no exception. Every citizen in Lebanon is an heir to a throne of dignity and worth; we must open our eyes and recognize that the Jewish community is an intricate part of this nation, an ultimate manifestation of our religious diversity, and a community that played a major role in the establishment of Lebanon. People ask why does this website even exist, but they are too short-sighted to recognize the obvious parallels between the Jewish experience in Lebanon and the potentially same experience that many others will face if we fail to rectify the grave situation and the precarious future of our country.

We are the hope of the region, we are the example for the world, and we are the message for humanity.

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Filed under: Personal Statement by admin