This year is the 119^th Anniversary of the signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty on September 5, 1905. This year is also the 118^th anniversary of President Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize – which he won for the orchestrating the peace conference, the back-channel diplomacy and the mediation strategy of the Treaty, although he never came to Portsmouth. The spirit of the Treaty, the statesmanship of the diplomats and President Roosevelt, and the citizen diplomacy of local people is a legacy that is perhaps more important than ever in these turbulent global times.

By re-enacting the bell-ringing that occurred when the Treaty was signed on September 5, 1905, we echo the celebration all around the Seacoast that welcomed the news that the Russo-Japanese War (“World War Zero”) was over and we commemorate the active role local citizens played in helping to achieve that peace. As in the past, Richard David Grossman will sound the shofar to join this celebration. The sounding of the shofar, along with bells around the state at 3:47 pm on September 5^th is the historical, and in many ways most meaningful celebration of Portsmouth Peace Treaty Day, an official statewide observance since unanimous legislation was passed in 2010.

 The Japanese Ambassador to the United States, the Honorable Shigeo Yamada, will be the guest of Senator Jeanne Shaheen to participate in the ceremony this year that takes place in Market Square (in front of Piscataqua Savings Bank, 15 Pleasant St.), starting at 3:15 pm. Deputy Consul General Minoya from the Japanese Consulate in Boston is also planning to attend so a robust celebration of our citizen diplomacy would make a long-lasting impression.

The shipyard will ring its bells/whistles at 3:47 p.m; the participating bell-ringers and other commemorations echo immediately after that for about three minutes.