Page 12 - ISRAEL'S CRADLE

Statement of the Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Avraham Duvdevani
Houses in Jerusalem tell a story.
They tell a story of a 3,000-year-old homeland.
They tell the story of the Land of Israel and its capital, Jerusalem, from the days of King David to present times. From the City of David to the National Institutions Building, each house has its unique story.
While the story of most houses focuses on the history of Jerusalem, the National Institutions Building remarkably tells the story of the entire Nation in the Land of Israel and the bond with the People of Israel.
Hence the importance of this book. It reviews the history of the building that has housed the institutions that gave rise to the policies, the leadership and the inspiration for the People of Israel's endeavors in their land over the past one hundred years. This building has been home to the institutions that oversaw the Jewish population of Israel through its pre-state years and our nascent independent nationhood.
I thank the Author Dr. Mordechay Naor and Publisher Boaz Dekel, for their unique initiative in enhancing public awareness of the National Institutions' work, their contribution to preserving the memory of this momentous period in the history of the Jewish settlement and the rebirth of the State of Israel, and their important addition to the collective Zionist Jewish library. On a personal note: It is now 75 years that members of our family have been operating in this building, which has become their second home. Beginning with our late father, Baruch Duvdevani, who dedicated himself to supporting Aliyah for more than twenty years, through his successors who have been engaged in the Zionist enterprise until this day. For this, we are filled with gratitude.
May this important book achieve its goals.
Sincerely,
Avraham Duvdevani (Duvdev)
Chair of the World Zionist Organization (WZO)
10