Full Text of HR1048 97th General Assembly
HR1048 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Since 1654, when Jewish immigrants first settled | 3 | | in North America, the Jewish-American people have contributed | 4 | | immeasurably to every aspect of our society, including | 5 | | government, sports, education, business, science, and the | 6 | | arts, and have enriched our culture and helped to shape our | 7 | | national identity; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Since the time of the American Revolution, when | 9 | | the colonies' small population of 3,000 Jewish settlers played | 10 | | an outsized role in the battle for our nation's independence, | 11 | | with an estimated 160 Jewish-Americans fighting in George | 12 | | Washington's Continental Army, the commitment of the | 13 | | Jewish-American people to the defense and freedom of the United | 14 | | States has been witnessed again and again from the time of the | 15 | | Civil War, to the first World War, to World War II - where half | 16 | | a million Jewish-Americans joined in a worldwide effort to halt | 17 | | the march of fascism and prevent the eradication of the Jewish | 18 | | culture - to the present theaters of American military | 19 | | involvement, where Jewish-Americans continue to defend our | 20 | | freedom; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Jewish-Americans have worked alongside their | 22 | | fellow Americans of all races, religions, and heritages to | 23 | | create the advances that continue to make our nation a center |
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| 1 | | of business and technological innovation and creativity and | 2 | | enhance the vitality of our communities nationwide; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Jonas Salk, | 4 | | and Carl Sagan are among the many Jewish-Americans whose | 5 | | dedication to the advancement of scientific understanding has | 6 | | helped cure diseases, prevent war, explore space, and grace us | 7 | | with a fuller appreciation of our world; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Jewish-American athletes have made important | 9 | | contributions to our national pastimes, including former | 10 | | Chicago Bears great Sid Luckman, pitching legend Sandy Koufax, | 11 | | Major League Baseball's reigning National League Most Valuable | 12 | | Player Ryan Braun, new Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein, | 13 | | Olympic gold medal figure-skater Sarah Hughes, and Abe | 14 | | Saperstein, whose role in founding the Harlem Globetrotters | 15 | | earned him induction in basketball's hall of fame; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Despite oftentimes facing discrimination and | 17 | | persecution themselves, Jewish-Americans worked actively in | 18 | | the civil rights movement and the women's equality movement; | 19 | | and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Jewish-American community groups, such as B'nai | 21 | | B'rith, Hatzalah, Hadassah, Hillel, the many synagogue men's | 22 | | clubs and sisterhoods, and several Jewish fraternities and |
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| 1 | | sororities in America, such as Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Epsilon | 2 | | Phi, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Delta Tau, Tau Epsilon Phi, and Zeta | 3 | | Beta Tau, have worked locally and internationally to serve our | 4 | | communities, our country, and our world; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is home to one of the 10 | 6 | | largest Jewish populations in the world; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Many notable Jewish-Americans have called | 8 | | Illinois home, including Governor Henry Horner, one of the | 9 | | first Jewish governors in the United States, | 10 | | internationally-renowned pianist Fannie Bloomfield Ziesler, | 11 | | beloved children's writer and poet Shel Silverstein, Sears | 12 | | president and philanthropist Max Adler, and former | 13 | | Congressman, White House Chief of Staff, and current Mayor of | 14 | | Chicago, Rahm Emanuel; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Since 2006, the month of May has been designated | 16 | | as Jewish-American Heritage Month; therefore, be it
| 17 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 18 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 19 | | we set aside the month of May as an opportunity to reflect on | 20 | | the contributions that Jewish-Americans have made to our | 21 | | communities, our State, and our country.
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