[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 128, 113th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 9109--APR. 30, 2014

Proclamation 9109 of April 30, 2014

Jewish American Heritage Month, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For thousands of years, the Jewish people have sustained their identity
and traditions, persevering in the face of persecution. Through
generations of enslavement and years of wandering, through forced
segregation and the horrors of the Holocaust, they have maintained their
holy covenant and lived according to the Torah. Their pursuit of freedom
brought multitudes to our shores, and today our country is the proud
home to millions of Jewish Americans. This month, let us honor their
tremendous contributions--as scientists and artists, as activists and
entrepreneurs. And let all of us find inspiration in a story that speaks
to the universal human experience, with all of its suffering and all of
its salvation.
This history led many Jewish Americans to find common cause with the
Civil Rights Movement. African Americans and Jewish Americans marched
side-by-side in Selma and Montgomery. They boarded buses for Freedom
Rides together, united in their support of liberty and

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human dignity. These causes remain just as urgent today. Jewish
communities continue to confront anti-Semitism--both around the world
and, as tragic events mere weeks ago in Kansas reminded us, here in the
United States. Following in the footsteps of Jewish civil rights
leaders, we must come together across all faiths, reject ignorance and
intolerance, and root out hatred wherever it exists.
In celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month, we also renew our
unbreakable bond with the nation of Israel. It is a bond that transcends
politics, a partnership built on mutual interests and shared ideals. Our
two countries are enriched by diversity and faith, fueled by innovation,
and ruled not only by men and women, but also by laws. As we continue
working in concert to build a safer, more prosperous, more tolerant
world, may our friendship only deepen in the years to come.
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 2014 as Jewish
American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to visit
www.JewishHeritageMonth.gov to learn more about the heritage and
contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month, the theme
of which is healing the world, with appropriate programs, activities,
and ceremonies.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
April, in the year two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
BARACK OBAMA