Full Text of SR0246 103rd General Assembly
SR0246 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Jewish American history spans more than 350 | 3 | | years, dating back to the colonial era and early European | 4 | | settlements in New York, and is woven through every part of | 5 | | American history to the present day; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Jewish people played an integral role in | 7 | | supporting American independence and the religious freedom | 8 | | guaranteed in the establishment of the new nation; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, In the mid-1800s, a wave of German Jewish | 10 | | immigrants, fleeing persecution and economic hardship in | 11 | | search of new opportunity, arrived in the United States; this | 12 | | wave of immigration led to the expansion of Jewish communities | 13 | | across the nation and the founding of B'nai B'rith, the | 14 | | American Jewish Committee, and the National Council of Jewish | 15 | | Women; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Jewish | 17 | | immigration to the United States increased in response to | 18 | | rising anti-Semitism in Europe and particularly in response to | 19 | | the pogroms in the Russian Empire; more than two million | 20 | | Eastern European Jewish people immigrated to the United States | 21 | | during this time; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Beginning in the 1920s, restrictive immigration | 2 | | policies stemmed the flow of new immigrants to the United | 3 | | States; many Jewish Americans opposed these policies, but they | 4 | | remained in place, leading to the United States' tragic | 5 | | refusal to accept refugees from Nazi Germany and leaving many | 6 | | unable to escape the Holocaust; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Jewish Americans and Jewish immigrants to America | 8 | | have contributed to every aspect of American culture and | 9 | | history, including education, science, business, philanthropy, | 10 | | politics, civil rights, and the arts, and key figures in | 11 | | American and world history include Jonas Salk, Albert | 12 | | Einstein, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, In light of continuing and reemerging | 14 | | anti-Semitism in America, expressed openly and violently, it | 15 | | is crucial that the history, heritage, and culture of Jewish | 16 | | Americans be fully known, understood, and valued; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Jewish American Heritage Month is an opportunity | 18 | | to celebrate the vibrancy and importance of Illinois' Jewish | 19 | | American citizens whose accomplishments and contributions | 20 | | strengthen and enrich culture, governance, the economy, | 21 | | education, and all aspects of community life in the State; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, During Jewish American Heritage Month, it is |
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| 1 | | fitting for Illinoisans to commemorate and celebrate the | 2 | | essential contributions, sacrifices, and accomplishments that | 3 | | Jewish Americans have made and continue to make in the State; | 4 | | therefore, be it
| 5 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 6 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare May 2023 as | 7 | | Jewish American Heritage Month in the State of Illinois.
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