Jewish American Heritage Month, 2019, 19685-19686 [2019-09314]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 87 (Monday, May 6, 2019)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 19685-19686]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09314]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 84 , No. 87 / Monday, May 6, 2019 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 19685]]


                Proclamation 9868 of April 30, 2019

                
Jewish American Heritage Month, 2019

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                As we observe Jewish American Heritage Month, our 
                Nation celebrates nearly 4,000 years of Jewish history 
                and honors the numerous contributions of Jewish 
                Americans to our country and the world. Rabbi Akiva, a 
                great Jewish scholar, declared that a central principle 
                of the Torah is to ``love thy neighbor as thyself.'' 
                Jewish Americans have repeatedly demonstrated their 
                dedication to this commandment, helping the downtrodden 
                and pursue justice, sanctifying the name of God, and 
                embodying the best of America.

                During a Jewish wedding ceremony, it is customary for 
                the newlywed couple to shatter a glass. This 
                longstanding tradition commemorates the destruction of 
                the Temple in Jerusalem and symbolizes that even during 
                times of heightened joy, one should remember the 
                painful losses Jews suffered throughout history. In the 
                same way, all Americans bear a moral responsibility to 
                stand alongside our Jewish communities and learn the 
                lessons of tolerance that run through the tragedies 
                that have befallen the Jewish people--both long ago 
                and, sadly, in recent times. Reflecting on these events 
                steels our resolve that they never happen again.

                Unconscionably, rates of anti-Semitic hate crimes have 
                risen globally, and Jewish institutions have been 
                vandalized and violently attacked. This past October, 
                we mourned alongside our Jewish brothers and sisters 
                following the attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 
                Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in which 11 worshippers were 
                killed, making it the deadliest attack against Jews in 
                American history. Then, on the sixth-month anniversary 
                of that horrific attack and on the last day of 
                Passover, we grieved as the Chabad of Poway Synagogue 
                was the target of yet another act of anti-Semitic 
                violence, in which one worshipper lost her life and 
                three others were wounded. As Americans, we 
                unequivocally condemn the pernicious, baseless hatred 
                that is anti-Semitism.

                Our American tradition compels us to reject the source 
                of anti-Semitism. Following the Revolutionary War, the 
                Jewish community of Newport, Rhode Island, was unsure 
                if the new American Government would grant them equal 
                rights, given the persecution and expulsion the Jewish 
                people had faced in so many times and in so many 
                places. In response, George Washington penned his 
                famous 1790 letter to the members of Newport's Touro 
                Synagogue, reassuring American Jews that, in the United 
                States, their religious liberty would be protected. He 
                further invoked the prophet Micah, hoping that the 
                ``Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this 
                land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the 
                other Inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in safety 
                under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be 
                none to make him afraid.'' Since then, the unique 
                American promise of religious liberty for people of all 
                faiths has remained a proud hallmark of our Republic.

                Today, we recognize the resilience of the Jewish 
                community in the face of great adversity and celebrate 
                the countless ways Jewish Americans have strengthened 
                our Nation. We echo the words of President Washington 
                and Rabbi Akiva and stand in solidarity with our 
                American Jewish neighbors as we reaffirm our commitment 
                to combat all forms of hate and anti-Semitism.

[[Page 19686]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim May 2019 as Jewish 
                American Heritage Month. I call upon Americans to 
                celebrate the heritage and contributions of American 
                Jews and to observe this month with appropriate 
                programs, activities, and ceremonies.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                third.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2019-09314
Filed 5-3-19; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F9-P