WHEREAS, On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that May would be Jewish American Heritage Month; and
WHEREAS, The Greater Philadelphia area, including Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties, is home to 351,200 Jewish residents. They are a diverse group with about 10% being Jews of color, meaning they identify as Hispanic, black, Asian, or other non-white races; and
WHEREAS, The Jewish American story is believed to have begun in 1654 when 23 Jewish adults and children first arrived in the United States from Brazil. The City of Philadelphia grew alongside and in part due to the contributions of its Jewish community. Jewish traders are known to have operated out of the City as early as the 1650s. The first Jewish resident of the City was recorded in 1703. Over the following decades, the community grew; and
WHEREAS, Jewish Americans have significantly contributed to and sacrificed for our country. Several financiers and leaders of the American War for Independence were Jews from Philadelphia. Mass immigration of Eastern European Jews to Philadelphia began in the 1880s. As with all immigration to the City, there was tension with various ethnic groups, each staying in their neighborhoods. Jews worked many jobs, becoming manual laborers, butchers, tailors, grocers, and beyond; and
WHEREAS, During World War II, more than 500,000 Jewish Americans fought alongside their fellow Americans to vanquish the evil of the Nazis in Europe; and
WHEREAS, Let the month of May serve as a period of reflection and understanding in which all citizens of Philadelphia are encouraged to learn about the culture, heritage, and contributions of Jewish Americans, including their ongoing struggles and challenges that are inextricably tied to the history of the City of Philadelphia, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States of America; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, that it hereby proclaims May 2023 as Jewish American Heritage Month in Philadelphia to pay tribute to the rich history and significant contributions made by generations of Jewish Americans to our Country, Commonwealth, and City; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, That Engrossed copies of this resolution be presented to the Pennsylvania Asian Pacific American Jewish Alliance and the American Jewish Committee of Philadelphia as evidence of the admiration and respect of this body.
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