[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 64 (Thursday, May 15, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S4617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF JEWISH HERITAGE WEEK, MAY 11-18, 1997

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, it is with great pride and pleasure 
that I rise today to call my colleagues' attention to President 
Clinton's proclamation designating May 11-18, 1997, as Jewish Heritage 
Week.
  Jewish Heritage Week was initiated in 1976 by the Jewish Community 
Relations Council to celebrate the significant contributions Jewish 
people have made to American history and culture. It is observed every 
spring, during the season in which Jewish people commemorate Passover, 
Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) and Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel 
Independence Day). In my home State of Michigan, a number of displays 
celebrating the week are on display in libraries in Oakland County on 
the theme ``These Jewish Americans Have Made This Country and the World 
a Better Place.'' The achievements of notable Jewish-Americans are 
highlighted, such as Dr. Jonas Salk, who discovered the polio vaccine, 
Nathan Straus, who introduced pasteurized milk in America, movie 
legends Samuel Goldwyn and Steven Spielberg, Nobel prize winners Henry 
Kissinger and Saul Bellow, and musical giants George Gershwin and 
Irving Berlin, among many others.
  I would like to recognize the efforts of the artists and organizers 
of these exhibits, who have helped to bring the spirit of Jewish 
Heritage Week to Michigan. They include Ann Barnett, Maynard Feldman, 
Howard Fridson, Julian Lefkowitz, Helen Naimark, and Sara Schiff.
  In his proclamation last year, the President eloquently stated that 
``Jewish-Americans have infused our Nation with a powerful faith, a 
commitment to family and community, and a devotion to scholarship and 
self-improvement. We can draw strength and inspiration from the 
enduring lessons of Judaism and it is entirely fitting that we honor 
the great traditions of its followers.'' I hope my colleagues will join 
me and the millions of others who are celebrating the achievements of 
Jewish-Americans during Jewish Heritage Week.

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