At the beginning of his remarks, President Rivlin welcomed and complimented former US Senator Joesph Lieberman in English, but quickly switched to Hebrew, “The title of this conference, ‘From Vision to Reality’, sums up better than anything else the passage of history since Herzl published ‘Der Judenstaat’ and ‘Altneuland’. It was an incomparably grand but sober vision, which the Zionist movement turned into reality. It is in that reality that we live and work, and it is that reality that we are required to refashion for future generations of the Jewish people.” 

The president added, “In the Jewish State, everyone is equal before the law – Jews and Arabs, men and women, rich and poor. A reality where we decide for ourselves, on our own, for our own good, according to ‘the principles of liberty, justice, and peace, according to the visions of the prophets of Israel’, is an immense and rare treasure that few Jews have been fortunate to receive over the generations. The establishment of the State of Israel was a just act, a response to continued injustice against us, and we bear the responsibility to guard it.”

The president also spoke about Herzl’s vision for religion and state, saying, “Herzl himself was, as we know, completely secular in his way of life. And yet, Herzl recognized the importance of the religious longing for the Land of Israel for the future of Zionism. The new national home for the Jewish people was established on Herzl’s vision of a liberal and secular entity along modern lines, and at the same time, Herzl imagined a significant and central public presence for Jewish tradition and belief. In the elections that have just happened, we heard particularly polarizing messages on the issue of religion and state. We could learn much from Herzl, balancing respect for tradition with the ways of a modern state. At times like this, the role of leaders is not to divide or exclude those from different parts of society. Their role is to show how, and it is certainly possible, to preserve the social contract, which is the essential soul of the Zionist state: a Jewish and democratic, democratic and Jewish state, both at the same time.” 

 Former US Senator and Vice-Presidential Candidate Lieberman was the last speaker on the evening program and presented in English, mentioning proudly he had children and grandchildren who made aliyah. Hadassah Lieberman attended the opening with her husband.

Neat the end of Lieberman's speech he addressed the changes in the US Democratic leadership toward Israel.

When Nissim Levy was called up to receive an award, Rina Levy was asked to join her husband on the stage for the presentation.

Present for the opening was a Theodor Herzl impersonator and among the invited guests Sandy Cardin, and past Governor of Bank of Israel and former Vice
Chairman of the US Federal Reserve and featured speaker at conference economic sessions, Dr. Stanley Fischer.