Senate Resolution No. 1082

BY: Senator MYRIE

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
May 2023, as Jewish American Heritage Month in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, Jewish American history spans more than 350 years, dating
back to the colonial era and early European settlements in New York, and
is woven through every part of American history through to the present
day; and

WHEREAS, New York is home to the largest Jewish population in the
United States, and New York's Jewish communities continue to grow; and

WHEREAS, Jews played an integral role in supporting American
independence and the religious freedom guaranteed in the establishment
of the new nation; and

WHEREAS, Beginning in the mid-1800s, a wave of European Jewish
immigrants, fleeing persecution and economic hardship in search of new
opportunity, 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 the pogroms in the Russian Empire;
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 Ginsberg; and

WHEREAS, In light of continuing and reemerging anti-Semitism in
America, expressed openly and violently, it is 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 New York's Jewish American
citizens, whose accomplishments and contributions strengthen and enrich
culture, governance, the economy, education, and all aspects of
community life in the State; and

WHEREAS, During Jewish American Heritage Month, New Yorkers are
encouraged to commemorate and celebrate the essential contributions,
sacrifices, and accomplishments that Jewish Americans have made and
continue to make in the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2023, as Jewish
American Heritage Month in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.