[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 165 (Tuesday, November 19, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S8197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 299--CONGRATULATING THE AMERICAN JEWISH JOINT 
DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE ON THE CELEBRATION OF ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY AND 
   COMMENDING ITS SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO EMPOWER AND REVITALIZE 
                DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD

  Mr. SCHUMER (for himself and Mrs. Gillibrand) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 299

       Whereas the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee 
     (referred to in this preamble as the ``JDC''), the leading 
     Jewish humanitarian assistance organization in the world, 
     provides economic relief to communities facing hardship and 
     builds the foundation for self-sustaining Jewish community 
     life;
       Whereas when the JDC was founded in 1914, the organization 
     initiated relief projects in communities primarily in Eastern 
     Europe and the Middle East, and, as of November 2013, the JDC 
     works in 70 countries worldwide and touches more than 
     1,000,000 lives each year;
       Whereas the JDC has pioneered high-impact programs that 
     provide access to education, health care, food, shelter, and 
     assistance with job training and placement for governments 
     and other organizations to utilize;
       Whereas the JDC has developed and implemented initiatives 
     in Israeli society aimed at meeting the needs of the most 
     disadvantaged citizens in the State of Israel, including 
     children and youth at risk, the chronically unemployed 
     (including ultra-Orthodox Jews, people with disabilities, and 
     Israeli Arabs), and the elderly;
       Whereas the JDC received the Israel Prize in 2007 for its 
     lifetime achievements and special contributions to society 
     and the State of Israel for developing innovative, scalable 
     solutions to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged 
     citizens in the State of Israel;
       Whereas the JDC has helped transform the lives of women and 
     girls throughout the world, through initiatives that provide 
     access to health care and education to girls, encouraging 
     them to overcome gender barriers, receive an education, and 
     become community leaders;
       Whereas the JDC is engaging many young individuals in the 
     United States to participate in rescue, renewal, and 
     revitalization work through service and volunteer programs 
     around the world;
       Whereas the JDC and the United States Government have a 
     historic and enduring relationship that has evolved from 
     cooperating in life-saving work in Europe through the 
     American Relief Administration following World War I and the 
     War Refugee Board during World War II to the more recent 
     partnerships between the JDC and the Department of 
     Agriculture, the Department of State, and the United States 
     Agency for International Development;
       Whereas the JDC mobilizes its expert professionals and 
     network of local, United States, Israeli, and global 
     partners, including the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief, 
     to provide immediate relief and long-term assistance in the 
     aftermath of natural disasters, such as by providing 
     emergency supplies and medical assistance following the 
     earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 and the earthquake in 
     Haiti in 2010; and
       Whereas the JDC creates programs and solutions that benefit 
     the neediest populations in communities around the world and 
     confronts the most difficult challenges, such as natural 
     disasters, extreme poverty, political instability, and 
     genocide: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes and celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 
     founding of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; 
     and
       (2) commends the American Jewish Joint Distribution 
     Committee on its valuable work around the world and wishes 
     the organization success in its future efforts.

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