At the Balai Quezon (Quezon house) at the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv today, senior leaders of The "Confederation of General Zionists" faction presented a special certificate to the Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., of the Philippine Embassy in Israel, Ms. Reichel Quinones.
The Certificate expressed gratitude for the Republic's vote in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 181 on November 29, 1947, which paved the way for the creation of the State of Israel as well as for the Open Doors policy of President Quezon,
which saved the lives of over 1,300 Jews from Europe in the years 1937-1941.
David Yaari, Vice Chairman of the Confederation of General Zionists said: "The Jewish people have a long memory and President Quezon deserves to be remembered for his brave act of kindness during such a dark period of Jewish History. As leaders of the General Zionist faction of the World Zionist Organization, we deeply appreciate the consideration of the Philippine's to vote in favor of Resolution 181 (the partition plan) on November 29, 1947".
Dov Lipman, former MK and Secretary General of the Confederation of General Zionists: "In a world filled with enemies of Israel and the Jewish people we cannot take it for granted when a country saves Jews and supports Israel.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the Philippine government and people, and today was just the beginning of showing our appreciation".
Ms. Raichel Quinones, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., of the Philippine Embassy in Israel, thanked the Confederation of General Zionists for the certificate, pointing out that President Quezon’s humanitarian act has become the foundation for the strong relations that the Philippines and Israel continue to enjoy to this day. “President Quezon’s rare act of compassion continues to open doors between our two countries and inspire us to find ways to deepen the relations between our countries and peoples,” she said. “Through the Balai Quezon, we hope to generate awareness of this unique part of history that forged a lasting friendship between two peoples during such a difficult period of time.”
The Balai Quezon, the Philippine Embassy's cultural center, was inaugurated on 29 October 2019. It serves to promote greater awareness and recognition of the story, history, and meaning of President Manuel L. Quezon’s Open Door policy.
The "Confederation of General Zionists" is a faction in the World Zionist Congress that deals with Zionism on a macro scale with an emphasis on strengthening the connections and ties between the State of Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
The Confederation faction has set its focus and goals to strengthen the connections between Israel and Diaspora Jewry, and is not affiliated with any political party or any religious sect. The Chairman is Jesse Sultanik, whose grandfather Kalman Sultanik z”l previously
served as Vice President of the World Jewish Congress.
Photo
From right to left (171 KB):Ms Katheryne Wendy Cruz, Political Attach`e of the Philippine Embassy in Israel, David Yaari, Vice Chairman of the Confederation of General Zionists, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of the Philippine Embassy in Israel, Ms. Reichel Quinones, and former MK and Secretary General of the Confederation of General Zionists, Dov Lipman. Courtesy: YOSSIFON PR.
