Shalom, and thank you for joining me here this morning for such a wonderful and worthwhile cause.

In Ecclesiastes (Eh-klee-zee-as-tees) it says, "a woman of valour is worth more than jewels." Coretta Scott King was such a woman; she strived beside her husband and worked toward a better and more just society. Even after Dr. King's assassination, she continued to light the world with his cause. In Judaism, we refer to this as tikkun olam, repairing the world and this is what we are doing here this morning. Representatives Hastings and Davis, thank you for joining us this morning to kick-off the Coretta Scott King Forest Project.

The cornerstone of this initiative is the establishment of a new forest in Israel, named in honor of Mrs. King. I believe it appropriate that this forest will be located in Israel's northern Galillee region, an area devastated by last summer's Hezbollah rocket attacks. Mrs. King worked tirelessly for world peace, this forest will continue that legacy of repairing those damages of war. Israel takes great pride in her afforestation efforts.

We are the only country in the world to enter the 21st century with more trees than we began with in 1900. In today's age of global warming, it is more important than ever to continue with more programs like this one.

Coretta Scott King once said, "the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." Today we are moving forward in that vein and further improving our community.

Israel's sense of community goes beyond its own borders.
The Coretta Scott King Forest Project will also initiate new urban forestation efforts in the United States, furthering the deep roots of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

I would like to thank the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Hillel International, the JCPA, JNF, the Casey Tree Endowment and the Alliance for Community Trees for partnering with the Embassy of Israel today to further this new program.

This special partnership between the United States and Israel has existed since the very beginning of Israel's nationhood. Like the cherry tree we're planting today, the U.S.-Israel relationship has strong and deep roots.

The presence this morning of two great friends of Israel - Congressman Alcee Hastings and Congressman Artur Davis speaks volumes to that special bond. I appreciate their friendship and support. Thank you gentlemen for your continued leadership on behalf of the U.S.-Israel relationship. I look forward to further collaboration with you both in the future.

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your day.