US President Barack Obama on Tuesday declared May “Jewish American Heritage Month”.
In a ceremony kicking off the month, the president praised Jewish Americans for bearing “hardship and hostility” with the “deep conviction that a better future was within their reach”.
He also noted the achievements and national contribution of Jewish Americans such as Supreme Court Jusice Louis Brandeis, physicist Albert Einstein, and writer and art collector Gertrude Stein.
“Our country is stronger for their contributions, and this month we commemorate the myriad ways they have enriched the American experience,” Obama said.
The first Jewish American Heritage Month occurred during the presidential term of George W. Bush. It was introduced by Jewish Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D- FL) and passed in December 2005.
In Washington DC, events for Jewish American Heritage Month will take place at the Library of Congress, National Archives, National Gallery of Art, and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Events will also take place in various locations throughout the United States.