[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 80 (Thursday, May 31, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 30, 2012

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to share a few words on 
the vast and significant contributions Jewish Americans have made 
towards making America the greatest country in the world.
  The first Jewish Americans arrived on our shores in 1654, for the 
same reason millions would follow in later years, as refugees from 
harm, poverty, and persecution.
  These first Jewish Americans would settle in New Amsterdam (now New 
York) and eventually spread throughout our country from places as 
dispersed as Charleston and Philadelphia in the 18th century to nearly 
every corner of our country today, including a large and thriving 
community in my hometown of Houston.
  The contribution of Jewish Americans to our Nation's history, culture 
and development are almost too numerous to list--from the legal 
contributions of Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, to the musical 
talents of Leonard Bernstein, to the athletic prowess of Sandy Koufax, 
to the unknown thousands of Jewish American men and women who struggled 
for equality, workers' rights, and fought and died bravely for our 
country against tyranny.
  Today, the Jewish American community, now over six million strong, 
continues this long and proud tradition as members of every segment of 
American society--from the classroom and the boardroom to the 
battlefield and the halls of Congress.
  I ask all my colleagues in this chamber to join me in celebrating May 
as Jewish American Heritage Month.

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