    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9868 of April 30, 2019

    Jewish American Heritage Month, 2019

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    As we observe Jewish American Heritage Month, our Nation celebrates
    nearly 4,000 years of Jewish history and honors the numerous
    contributions of Jewish Americans to our country and the world. Rabbi
    Akiva, a great Jewish scholar, declared that a central principle of the
    Torah is to ``love thy neighbor as thyself.'' Jewish Americans have
    repeatedly demonstrated their dedication to this commandment, helping
    the downtrodden and pursue justice, sanctifying the name of God, and
    embodying the best of America.
    During a Jewish wedding ceremony, it is customary for the newlywed
    couple to shatter a glass. This longstanding tradition commemorates the
    destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and symbolizes that even during
    times of heightened joy, one should remember the painful losses Jews
    suffered throughout history. In the same way, all Americans bear a moral
    responsibility to stand alongside our Jewish communities and learn the
    lessons of tolerance that run through the tragedies that have befallen
    the Jewish people--both long ago and, sadly, in recent times. Reflecting
    on these events steels our resolve that they never happen again.
    Unconscionably, rates of anti-Semitic hate crimes have risen globally,
    and Jewish institutions have been vandalized and violently attacked.
    This past October, we mourned alongside our Jewish brothers and sisters
    following the attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh,
    Pennsylvania, in which 11 worshippers were killed, making it the
    deadliest attack against Jews in American history. Then, on the sixth-
    month anniversary of that horrific attack and on the last day of
    Passover, we grieved as the Chabad of Poway Synagogue was the target of
    yet another act of anti-Semitic violence, in which one worshipper lost

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    her life and three others were wounded. As Americans, we unequivocally
    condemn the pernicious, baseless hatred that is anti-Semitism.
    Our American tradition compels us to reject the source of anti-Semitism.
    Following the Revolutionary War, the Jewish community of Newport, Rhode
    Island, was unsure if the new American Government would grant them equal
    rights, given the persecution and expulsion the Jewish people had faced
    in so many times and in so many places. In response, George Washington
    penned his famous 1790 letter to the members of Newport's Touro
    Synagogue, reassuring American Jews that, in the United States, their
    religious liberty would be protected. He further invoked the prophet
    Micah, hoping that the ``Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in
    this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other
    Inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and
    fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.'' Since then, the
    unique American promise of religious liberty for people of all faiths
    has remained a proud hallmark of our Republic.
    Today, we recognize the resilience of the Jewish community in the face
    of great adversity and celebrate the countless ways Jewish Americans
    have strengthened our Nation. We echo the words of President Washington
    and Rabbi Akiva and stand in solidarity with our American Jewish
    neighbors as we reaffirm our commitment to combat all forms of hate and
    anti-Semitism.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 2019 as Jewish
    American Heritage Month. I call upon Americans to celebrate the heritage
    and contributions of American Jews and to observe this month with
    appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
    April, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    third.
    DONALD J. TRUMP