[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 75 (Tuesday, June 13, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1129-E1130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 13, 2006

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reflect on the 
inaugural Jewish American Heritage Month, which was celebrated across 
the country throughout the month of May. With the history of racial 
intolerance our country has witnessed, I believe we must remain 
steadfast in providing future generations opportunities to learn about 
the varied faiths and cultures that make this country so great.
  I am especially pleased that my colleague Congressman Joe Baca hosted 
a Special Order condemning hate crimes and racial intolerance. We must 
fight intolerance and stop the spread of hate-inspired acts and images, 
and I thank Congressman Baca for leading this important discussion.
  Mr. Speaker, we have seen how the national observance of Black 
History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month have brought, through 
education, greater awareness of the African American and Hispanic 
communities' contributions to our country. This past May, the many 
accomplishments of American Jews were recognized by the proclamation of 
Jewish American Heritage Month, issued by President Bush.
  When the Jewish community in Miami approached me with the idea to 
help designate a month to honor the contributions of American Jews, I 
realized the potential impact of this endeavor. It is my hope that 
Jewish American Heritage Month will make a difference in the fight 
against anti-Semitism.
  To those who would teach hate to their children, it might surprise 
them to learn that a Jewish man, Haym Salomon, was one of the largest 
financiers of the American Revolutionary War. To those who would paint 
graffiti on Jewish buildings, they should know that they have benefited 
from advances in medicine, trends in popular culture, and technological 
inventions, all developed by many famous and not-so-famous American 
Jews.
  Fortunately, we have leaders in government, the business community, 
law enforcement, and education who work to eliminate hateful words and 
actions and encourage acceptance and sensitivity to diversity.
  I am grateful to my colleagues who recognized the benefits that 
Jewish American Heritage Month would bring to the country, and I thank 
them for their unanimous support.
  Mr. Speaker, thank you for your support and commitment. Throughout 
the process, you were an instrumental and invaluable advocate.
  Leader Pelosi, Whip Hoyer, and Congressman Waxman, thank you for your 
leadership and guidance.
  And I'd especially like to thank Chairman Henry Hyde--who was the 
lead Republican cosponsor of the House resolution.
  Chairman Hyde helped immensely with spreading awareness of this 
resolution to our colleagues and the White House. I'd also like to 
acknowledge and thank Senator Arlen Specter who introduced and worked 
to pass identical legislation in the Senate. And once again, I would 
like to thank my colleagues, who unanimously passed the resolution.

[[Page E1130]]

  The amount of support for this initiative has been nothing short of 
inspirational:
  As the inaugural Jewish American Heritage Month comes to an end, 
national prominence of American Jewish heritage continues in 
communities across the country. In fact, many Jewish communities began 
their observances even prior to May.
  At the end of April, the Jewish Museum of Florida held a press 
conference with several community leaders to announce the 
Proclamation's release.
  At the beginning of May, the American Jewish Committee incorporated a 
celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month into their 100th 
Anniversary celebration here in Washington.
  On May 11th, the National Museum of American Jewish History in 
Philadelphia honored Senator Specter and celebrated the establishment 
of Jewish American Heritage Month at their annual gala dinner. On May 
23rd, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington hosted a 
breakfast reception in the Capitol where several Members including 
Representatives Hyde, Rangel, Cardin, Berkley, and Lewis. And just last 
week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recognized the conclusion of the 
inaugural Jewish American Heritage Month at a Jewish Heritage New York 
event at Gracie Mansion.
  Like so many of the ideas that generate in this body, the creation of 
Jewish American Heritage Month all started with one community that 
wanted to make a difference.
  I would like to thank two talented and dedicated women who helped 
lead this effort in Miami: Marcia Zerivitz of the Jewish Museum of 
Florida and Judy Gilbert-Gould of the Jewish Community Relations 
Council of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Jewish Historical 
Society of Greater Washington and its Lillian & Albert Small Jewish 
Museum, who brought the celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month 
to the Capitol Building.
  I respectfully request that the remarks made by their Executive 
Director Laura Apelbaum and their President Peggy Pearlstein be placed 
into the Congressional Record.

       May 23, 2006 Jewish Historical Society of Greater 
     Washington event honoring the presidential proclamation of 
     May as American Jewish Heritage Month.
       Laura Apelbaum, Executive Director:
       Good Morning. I am Laura Apelbaum, the Executive Director 
     of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington and 
     its Lillian & Albert Small Jewish Museum. On behalf of our 
     board of directors and members, I want to welcome you today 
     to this very special event.
       I think we all can appreciate that as Jews living in 
     America we are called upon to have a little bit of knowledge 
     about a lot of history--ancient history, biblical history, 
     Talmudic history, and Holocaust history to name just a few. 
     Lesser known in our community and less well understood are 
     the rich stories of American Jewish history--the stories 
     beyond our own personal history that tie us to the Jewish 
     community and to the national American story.
       In 1795, shortly after the site of the nation's capital was 
     selected, the first Jew arrived in the new federal district 
     of Washington. Fittingly, he was a real estate developer who 
     built office townhouses for new federal government offices of 
     the Department of War and State. Over the next two centuries, 
     he was followed by tens of thousands of Jews, all of whom 
     have become part of our community's history. Their lives and 
     deeds tell a unique story of both a hometown and a capital 
     city.
       The story of Washington's Jewish community is in many ways 
     similar to that in other communities across the country. Many 
     of Washington's early Jews, my great grandfather among them, 
     arrived in port cities and to avoid the sweatshops of New 
     York and Chicago made their way to DC to open small Mom & Pop 
     shops-- groceries, furniture stores, tailors, jewelers. The 
     presence of the federal government had a profound effect. 
     Their clientele included Presidents, Supreme Court Justices 
     and Congressmen. The few who served in the federal government 
     for the century preceding the New Deal gave way to a wave of 
     young intellectuals who arrived to serve a burgeoning federal 
     government in the 1930s and '40s.
       By the 1950s many of the small shops had grown into large 
     downtown department stores, Hecht's, Landsburgh's and Kann's 
     or other stores that spread with the community to the 
     suburbs. Along the way the Jewish community organized 
     synagogues and Jewish communal organizations.
       Continued growth and prosperity in the post WWII era and 
     into the ``modern'' era have created a community that spans 
     three jurisdictions--DC and the Maryland and Northern 
     Virginia suburbs and includes more than 215,000 members. We 
     are now the sixth largest Jewish community in the country.
       The Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington is the 
     nation's central archives for this special community. Our 
     collections are open to community members and researchers. 
     Our programs, publications, and exhibits recount our unique 
     communal history--at once local and national.
       We first learned of the effort to create a special month to 
     call attention to Jewish American heritage from a colleague, 
     Marcia Zerivitz, the dynamic director of the Jewish Museum of 
     Florida. It seemed to us entirely appropriate to mark the 
     creation of this special month by honoring the many 
     representatives and Senators--our friends and neighbors--that 
     introduced the Congressional Resolution that led to President 
     Bush recently proclaiming May 2006 as Jewish American History 
     month.
       Presentation--Society President Peggy Pearlstein: Ms. 
     Wasserman Schultz, Chairman Hyde, Chairman Specter, special 
     guests and friends:
       In 1654, 23 Jews fled Recife, Brazil, and landed in New 
     Amsterdam (now lower Manhattan) in search of political and 
     religious freedom. These men, women, and children were the 
     first of millions of Jews to seek refuge in America--the 
     vanguard of today's American Jewish community--now the 
     largest in the world.
       One hundred and thirty years ago on June 9, 1876, a small 
     yet committed Jewish congregation gathered to see their 
     dreams of building their own shul come to fruition. In the 
     presence of President Ulysses S. Grant, they dedicated a 
     small but beautiful synagogue building that stands just at 
     the foot of Capitol Hill at 3rd and G Streets, NW.
       That building has been a witness to the history of the 
     Jewish community, our city and our nation. It stands as a 
     testament to the endurance of our community and to the 
     commitment we have to preserving and caring for our past as 
     we face the future.
       Our Jewish Historical Society is committed to restoring 
     this special building and to educating our community 
     especially its youngest members about immigrant history, city 
     history, and the continuing story of Jewish life in and 
     around our capital city.
       To commemorate the 130th anniversary of our local treasure, 
     we have begun a major restoration initiative to ensure the 
     buildings' existence for many years to come. The building 
     stands as a reminder of where we came from and its legacy, an 
     important part of where we are going.
       You can learn more about our community at a comprehensive 
     exhibit now on display at the National Building Museum 
     through July 4th. This exhibit, Jewish Washington: Scrapbook 
     of An American Community, recounts the role that Washington 
     area Jews have played in American Jewish life and in the 
     nation's history.
       This past year, Representative Wasserman Schultz and 
     members of her district coordinated a nationwide effort to 
     support passage of a resolution calling for a Jewish American 
     Heritage month. They were joined in their efforts by 
     Representative Hyde and Senator Specter resulting in 
     unanimous approval, in both houses of Congress for the 
     resolution. In April, President Bush signed the proclamation 
     declaring the inauguration of Jewish American Heritage Month 
     in May.
       We have gathered to celebrate this Presidential 
     Proclamation and to honor the three members of Congress who 
     introduced the resolution supporting that proclamation:
       It is my pleasure to present each of them with a very 
     special gift.
       This is a tzedakah box that is a miniature of the historic 
     1876 synagogue which our organization stewards. It was the 
     first permanent home to Adas Israel Congregation. I hope that 
     it will remind you of our appreciation for your role in 
     commemorating Jewish American Heritage.
       Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 20th District of 
     Florida.
       Congressman Henry Hyde, 6th District of Illinois.
       Senator Arlen Specter, State of Pennsylvania.
       We also would like to take this opportunity to present a 
     tzedakah box to President Bush and ask Jay Zeidman to accept 
     on the president's behalf.
       I want to thank everyone for attending what we hope will 
     become an annual event.

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