[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 18 (Monday, May 8, 2000)]
[Pages 976-977]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7302--Jewish Heritage Week, 2000

 May 2, 2000

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    For centuries, Jews from every corner of the globe have come to 
America seeking the right to worship in freedom and to pursue their 
individual hopes and dreams in peace. For many, the journey was a 
desperate flight from oppression and persecution to a new life in a new 
country. Bolstered by powerful family and community ties and drawing 
strength and hope from their ancient religious traditions, Jews in 
America not only survived the difficult transition, but also thrived.
    From science and the arts to business and the law; as teachers, 
physicians, journalists, judges, musicians, and policymakers; from 
neighborhood stores to the corridors of Congress; from the Armed Forces 
to the Supreme Court, generations of American Jews have succeeded in 
every sector of our society. And the rewards of that success are shared 
by us all. Our Nation has benefited immeasurably from the character, 
values, and achievements of our Jewish citizens.
    Building on the Jewish tradition of hospitality toward strangers and 
acutely aware of the long and tragic history of prejudice and 
persecution against their people, Jews in America have committed 
themselves to tolerance, justice, human rights, and the rule of

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law. American Jews have shared their resources generously with health 
and human services programs, civil rights groups, educational 
institutions, arts organizations, and so many more. In communities 
across our Nation, in small towns and big cities, synagogues and 
yeshivas have become centers of community service and civic 
responsibility.
    During Jewish Heritage Week, let us acknowledge and give thanks for 
the many contributions that Jews have brought to our national life and 
character, and let us celebrate the rich religious and ethnic threads 
that Jewish men and women have woven into the tapestry that is America.
     Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 7 
through May 14, 2000, as Jewish Heritage Week. I urge all Americans to 
observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
     In Witness Whereof,  I have hereunto set my hand this second day of 
May, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of 
the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., May 4, 2000]

 Note:  This proclamation was published in the  Federal Register  on May 
5.