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.