[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 9, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      A TRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY

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                          HON. ROBERT A. BRADY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 9, 1999

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the National 
Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. Founded in 1976, the 
Museum presents educational programs and experiences that preserve, 
explore and celebrate the history of Jews in America. Telling the story 
of the Jewish experience in America, the National Museum of American 
Jewish History has connected Jews closer to their heritage and has 
inspired in people of all backgrounds a greater appreciation for the 
diversity of the American experience and the freedoms to which 
Americans aspire.
  As Philadelphia is a melting pot for so many of the Nation's 
minorities, the Museum's location is ideal for illuminating ethnicity 
in American life. Philadelphia is the birthplace of American liberty, 
and the freedoms that are celebrated by the Museum can be traced back 
to people and events that are a part of Philadelphia history. The 
``Jewish Window on Independence Mall'' demonstrates how one group of 
Americans used the opportunities of freedom to make important and 
diverse contributions to American life. In this way, the message of the 
Museum should be seen as fundamentally American as well as Jewish-
American.
  Mr. Speaker, the National Museum of American Jewish History has been 
a benefit to the Philadelphia community not only for its important 
educational value with respect to the history of the Jewish people, but 
also because it has highlighted the freedoms that are all too often 
overlooked in everyday life. This institution has brought to the 
forefront all that makes America great, the freedoms which have made it 
possible for Jewish-Americans--and all Americans--to succeed.

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