Friday, April 30, 2021

President Declares May As Jewish American Heritage Month

Today President Biden issued a Proclamation (full text) declaring May 2021 as Jewish American Heritage Month. The Proclamation reads in part:

Alongside this narrative of achievement and opportunity, there is also a history — far older than the Nation itself — of racism, bigotry, and other forms of injustice.  This includes the scourge of anti-Semitism.  In recent years, Jewish Americans have increasingly been the target of white nationalism and the antisemitic violence it fuels.

As our Nation strives to heal these wounds and overcome these challenges, let us acknowledge and celebrate the crucial contributions that Jewish Americans have made to our collective struggle for a more just and fair society; leading movements for social justice, working to ensure that the opportunities they have secured are extended to others, and heeding the words of the Torah, “Justice, justice shall you pursue.”

A website honoring the month has been created by The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.