US Vice President Mike Pence’s address to the Knesset began with Arab lawmakers shouting in protest but that did not stop Pence from giving a benediction.

In Hebrew, Pence recited the second half of the traditional blessing that is recited on auspicious and joyous occasions known as “Shecheyanu.” The blessing praises God, referring to him as One “who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.”

Pence also addressed the uniqueness of the Jewish people, referring to the nation as the “the people of the book” and recognizing the “wisdom of the Hebrew bible.” The Vice President also said that the story of the Jewish people “shows the power of faith.”

“The Jewish people held fast to a promise through all the ages written so long that even if you’d been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there he would gather and bring you back to the land that your fathers possessed,” he said.

In an apparent expression of awe at the story of the state of Israel, Pence asked rhetorically in reference to Isaiah 66:8, “can a country be born in a day, can a nation be born in a moment?”