[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 37 (Monday, September 19, 2005)]
[Pages 1400-1403]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the National Dinner Celebrating 350 Years of Jewish Life in 
America

September 14, 2005

    Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. Thanks for the 
invitation to be here. My only regret is Laura is not with me. I left 
her behind to do some diplomacy in New York City. [Laughter]
    Bob, I want to thank you for your kind introduction. I'm honored to 
accept this medal commemorating three-and-a-half centuries of Jewish 
life in America. I consider it a high honor to have been invited to 
celebrate with you.
    Back in 1790, the Jewish congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, 
wrote to congratulate George Washington on his election as the country's 
first President. Some say he was the first George W. [Laughter] In his 
reply, President Washington thanked the congregation and pledged to 
defend vigorously the principle of religious liberty for all. He 
declared--here's what he said. He said, the United States ``gives 
bigotry no sanction; to persecution, no assistance.'' And he expressed 
his hope that the ``stock of Abraham'' would thrive in America.

[[Page 1401]]

    In the centuries that followed, the stock of Abraham has thrived 
here like nowhere else. We're better and stronger--and we're a better 
and stronger and freer nation because so many Jews from countries all 
over the world have chosen to become American citizens.
    I want to thank Rabbi Gary Zola, who is the chairman of the 
Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History. I 
want to thank Ken Bialkin, who is the chairman of the board of the 
American Jewish Historical Society. I want to thank Members of Congress 
who are here. I want to thank members of the diplomatic corps, 
especially the Ambassador from Israel, Danny Ayalon.
    I want to thank two members of my Cabinet who've joined us, 
Secretary Alphonso Jackson of the Department of Housing and Urban 
Affairs, and his wife, Marcia, and Josh Bolten, who is the Director of 
the Office of Management and Budget.
    I appreciate the Archivist of the United States, who has joined us 
today, Allen Weinstein; Dr. Jim Billington, who is the Librarian of 
Congress.
    I can't help but notice and welcome Ed Koch, the former mayor of New 
York City. I want to thank my friend Fred Zeidman from Houston, Texas, 
who's the Chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council--pay my 
respects to Lynn Schusterman, who's the president of the Charles and 
Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and Sid Lapidus, who's the president 
of the American Jewish Historical Society.
    This may sound a little odd for a Methodist from Texas saying this, 
but I just came from a shul. I was just given the grand tour of the 
great American landmark, the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. I want to 
thank Shelton Zuckerman and Abe Pollin for taking it upon themselves to 
restore this important historical site. If you haven't been there, you 
ought to go. It is a--there's a wonderfully warm feeling. I saw the 
devotion that has gone into restoring this jewel, which was built nearly 
a century ago, a jewel that houses three Torah scrolls rescued from the 
Holocaust. We're proud to have this great synagogue in the heart of our 
Nation's Capital, and we're glad a new generation is revitalizing this 
house of God.
    The story of the Jewish people in America is a story of America 
itself. The pilgrims considered this Nation a new Israel, a refuge from 
persecution in Europe. Early Americans named many of their cities after 
places in Hebrew Scripture, Bethel and New Canaan, Shiloh and Salem. And 
when the first Jews arrived here, the children of Israel saw America as 
the land of promise, a golden land where they could practice their faith 
in freedom and live in liberty.
    When the first Jewish settlers came to our shores 350 [years] * ago, 
they were not immediately welcomed. Yet from the onset, the Jews who 
arrived here demonstrated a deep commitment to their new land. An 
immigrant named Asser Levy volunteered to serve in the New Amsterdam 
citizens guard, which, unfortunately, had a policy of refusing to admit 
Jews. That didn't bother Levy. He was determined, like many others who 
have followed him, to break down the barriers of discrimination. Within 
2 years, he took his rightful spot along [alongside] * his fellow 
citizens in the guard. He was the first of many Jewish Americans who 
have proudly worn the uniform of the United States.
    * White House correction.
    And one of the greatest Jewish soldiers America has ever known is 
Tibor Rubin. After surviving the Holocaust and the Nazi death camp, this 
young man came to America. He enlisted in the United States Army and 
fought in the Korean war. He was severely wounded and was later captured 
by the enemy. For 2\1/2\ years, he survived in a POW camp. He risked his 
life for his fellow soldiers nearly every night by smuggling extra food 
for those who were ill--it was a skill he had learned in the Nazi 
camps--and because of his daring, as many as 40 American lives were 
saved.
    This evening, I'm happy to announce that next week I will bestow 
upon this great patriot our Nation's highest award for bravery, the 
Medal of Honor.
    Jewish Americans have made countless contributions to our land. The 
prophet Jeremiah once called out to this--to his Nation,

[[Page 1402]]

``seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and 
pray to the Lord on its behalf.'' For 350 years, American Jews have 
heeded these words, and you've prayed and worked for peace and freedom 
in America. Freedom to worship is why Jews came to America three-and-a-
half centuries ago. It's why the Jews settled in Israel over five 
decades ago.
    Our two nations have a lot in common, when you think about it. We 
were both founded by immigrants escaping religious persecution in other 
lands. We both have built vibrant democracies. Both our countries are 
founded on certain basic beliefs, that there is an Almighty God who 
watches over the affairs of men and values every life. These ties have 
made us natural allies, and these ties will never be broken.
    Earlier today I met in New York with Prime Minister Sharon and the 
Ambassador. I admire Prime Minister Sharon. He's a man of courage. He's 
a man of peace. Once again, I expressed this Nation's commitment to 
defending the security and well-being of Israel. I also assured him that 
I will not waver when it comes to spreading freedom around the world. I 
understand this, that freedom is not America's gift to the world; 
freedom is an Almighty God's gift to each man and woman and child in 
this world.
    Religious freedom is a foundation of fundamental human and civil 
rights. And when the United States promotes religious freedom, it is 
promoting the spread of democracy. And when we promote the spread of 
democracy, we are promoting the cause of peace.
    Religious freedom is more than the freedom to practice one's faith. 
It is also the obligation to respect the faith of others. So to stand 
for religious freedom, we must expose and confront the ancient hatred of 
anti-Semitism, wherever it is found. When we find anti-Semitism at home, 
we will confront it. When we find anti-Semitism abroad, we will condemn 
it. And we condemn the desecration of synagogues in Gaza that followed 
Israel's withdrawal.
    Under America's system of religious freedom, church and state are 
separate. Still, we have learned that faith is not solely a private 
matter. Men and women throughout our history have acted on the words of 
Scripture, and they have made America a better, more hopeful place. When 
Rabbi Abraham Heschel marched with Martin Luther King, we saw modern-day 
prophets calling on America to honor its promises. We must allow people 
of faith to act on their convictions without facing discrimination.

    And that's why my administration has started a Faith-Based and 
Community Initiative, to call on the armies of compassion to help heal 
broken hearts. A few years ago in New York, the Metropolitan Council on 
Jewish Poverty was discouraged from even applying for Federal funds 
because it had the word ``Jewish'' in its name. We must end this kind of 
discrimination if we want America to be a hopeful place.

    At this moment, volunteers from all walks of life, across our great 
land, are helping the good folks of Alabama and Mississippi and 
Louisiana recover from one of the worst natural disasters in our 
Nation's history. The outpouring of compassion is phenomenal. American 
Jewish organizations have already raised over $10 million, plus the 
$50,000 tonight, for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

    About half of the 10,000 Jewish Americans who call New Orleans home 
found refuge in Houston. Rabbi Barry Gelman of the United Orthodox 
Synagogues of Houston immediately helped organize a task force to aid 
the evacuees. Five major Israeli universities with study-abroad programs 
are opening their doors to college students whose schools have been shut 
down by the storm.

    These are the good works of good people relying on the wisdom of the 
Good Book, a book that tells us how God rescued life from the flood 
waters. And like Noah and his family, we have faith that as the waters 
recede, we will see life begin again.

    I want to thank you for your patriotism. I want to thank you for 
compassion. I want to thank you for your love for the United States of 
America. All of America is grateful to the Jewish people for the 
treasures you have given us over the past 350 years.

    May God bless you, and may God continue to bless our country.

[[Page 1403]]

Note: The President spoke at 6:55 p.m. at the National Building Museum. 
In his remarks, he referred to Robert S. Rifkind, chairman of the 
governing board, Celebrate 350: Jewish Life in America, 1654-2004, who 
introduced the President; Gary Zola, chairman, Comission to Commemorate 
350 Years of American Jewish History; Lynn Schusterman, co-founder, 
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation; Shelton Zuckerman, vice 
president and secretary, and Abe Pollin, president, Sixth & I Historic 
Synagogue; and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel.