[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 93 (Friday, May 15, 2009)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 23107-23108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11587]



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Part V





The President





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Proclamation 8379--Jewish American Heritage Month, 2009
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  Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 93 / Friday, May 15, 2009 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 8379 of May 12, 2009

                
Jewish American Heritage Month, 2009

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The Jewish American tradition exemplifies the strength 
                of the American immigrant tradition. Since Jews arrived 
                in New Amsterdam in 1654, Jewish Americans have 
                maintained a unique identity just as they have enmeshed 
                themselves in the fabric of the United States. This 
                month we celebrate this inspiring and unifying 
                narrative.

                Jewish Americans across the United States practice the 
                faith and celebrate the culture of their ancestors. 
                Across the Nation every day, individuals emulate their 
                forebears by seeking to perform mitzvot, the hundreds 
                of commandments set forth in the Torah. The term 
                ``mitzvah'' has come to mean ``good deed,'' and many 
                Jews have adopted these practices to serve their 
                communities. Other mitzvot include observing holidays, 
                such as Passover, which marks the exodus from Egypt; 
                and Yom Kippur, a time to contemplate and seek 
                forgiveness for the sins of the past year; and Shabbat, 
                the weekly day of rest.

                The focus on preserving traditions is a notable 
                characteristic of Jewish culture. Many Jewish religious 
                and cultural practices have developed and adapted over 
                the millennia, yet the fundamental exhortation to 
                ensure that long-cherished ways of life are passed on 
                to future generations remains as strong as ever before. 
                Many Jewish Americans carry on this belief as they 
                instill these traditions in their children.

                Seeking to preserve their culture and start anew, 
                Jewish immigrants have departed familiar lands to 
                pursue their own American dreams for more than 300 
                years. During some periods, Jews sought refuge in the 
                United States from the horrors and tragedies of 
                persecution, pogroms, and the Holocaust. During other 
                times, they came to seek better lives and greater 
                economic opportunities for themselves and their 
                children.

                Jewish Americans have immeasurably enriched our Nation. 
                Unyielding in the face of hardship and tenacious in 
                following their dreams, Jewish Americans have 
                surmounted the challenges that every immigrant group 
                faces, and have made unparalleled contributions. Many 
                have broken new ground in the arts and sciences. Jewish 
                American leaders have been essential to all branches 
                and levels of government. Still more Jewish Americans 
                have made selfless sacrifices in our Armed Forces. The 
                United States would not be the country we know without 
                the achievements of Jewish Americans.

                Among the greatest contributions of the Jewish American 
                community, however, is the example they have set for 
                all Americans. They have demonstrated that Americans 
                can choose to maintain cultural traditions while 
                honoring the principles and beliefs that bind them 
                together as Americans. Jewish American history 
                demonstrates how America's diversity enriches and 
                strengthens us all.

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                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim May 2009 as Jewish 
                American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to 
                commemorate the proud heritage of Jewish Americans with 
                appropriate ceremonies and activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. E9-11587
Filed 5-14-09; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3195-W9-P