2023 -- H 6440

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LC003042

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

PROCLAIMING MAY OF 2023, TO BE “JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH” IN

THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Representatives Finkelman, Ackerman, Solomon, Kislak, Boylan,
Knight, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, and Noret

     Date Introduced: May 25, 2023

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, Jewish American history spans more than 350 years, dating back to the

colonial era and early European settlements in Rhode Island, and is woven through every part of

American history through to the present day; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island is home to approximately 18,750 Jewish Americans and the

Jewish population in Rhode Island has and continues to make enormous contributions that benefit

Rhode Island; and

     WHEREAS, Jews played an integral role in supporting American independence and the

religious freedom guaranteed in the establishment of the nation; and

     WHEREAS, In the mid-1800s, a wave of German Jewish immigrants, fleeing persecution

and economic hardship in search of new opportunities, arrived in the United States. This wave of

immigration led to the expansion of Jewish communities across the nation and the founding of

B’nai B’rith, the American Jewish Committee, and the National Council of Jewish Women; and

     WHEREAS, In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Jewish immigration to the United States

increased in response to rising anti-semitism in Europe, and particularly in response to the

pogroms in the Russian Empire. Overall, more than two million Eastern European Jews

immigrated to the United States during this time; and

     WHEREAS, Restrictive immigration policies beginning in the 1920s stemmed the flow

of new immigrants to the United States. Many Jewish Americans opposed these policies, but they

remained in place, leading to the United States’ tragic refusal to accept refugees from Nazi

Germany and leaving many of them unable to escape the Holocaust; and

     WHEREAS, Jewish Americans and Jewish immigrants to America have contributed to

every aspect of American culture and history, including education, science, business,

philanthropy, politics, civil rights, and the arts; among them are key figures in American and

world history including Jonas Salk, Albert Einstein, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg; and

     WHEREAS, In light of continuing and reemerging anti-Semitism in America, expressed

openly and violently, it is vital and crucial that the history, heritage and culture of Jewish

Americans be fully known, understood and valued; and

     WHEREAS, Jewish American Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the vibrancy

and importance of Rhode Island’s Jewish American community, whose accomplishments and

contributions strengthen and enrich all aspects of community life in the State of Rhode Island;

and

     WHEREAS, During Jewish American Heritage Month, Rhode Islanders are encouraged

to commemorate and celebrate the essential contributions, sacrifices, and accomplishments that

Jewish Americans have made and continue to make in our State; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

proclaims May of 2023, to be “Jewish American Heritage Month” in the State of Rhode Island;

and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. Jeffrey M. Wice, Executive Director,

National Association of Jewish Legislators.

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