Date: 2010-06-09
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. I congratulate the gentleman from Pennsylvania for bringing this to the floor. I rise today in support of H. Res. 1381. recognizing the National Museum of American Jewish History. an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. as the only museum in the Nation dedicated exclusively to exploring and preserving the American Jewish experience. This resolution simply commends and congratulates the National Museum of American Jewish History for its outstanding work in presenting and preserving the Jewish American experience and in teaching all Americans about the importance of freedom. respect. and diversity. Opening on July 4. 1976. the museum holds the largest collection in the world of Jewish Americana and is currently expanding to a beautiful new facility appropriately located on Independence Mall in Philadelphia near Independence Hall. the National Constitution Center. and the Liberty Bell. There it will continue to showcase how the freedom of America fostered an environment in which Jewish Americans made and continue to make significant contributions to American life. The National Museum of American Jewish History shares its current site with a Jewish congregation established in the 1740s. This was one of the first organized Jewish congregations in the colonies and was later called the Synagogue of the American Revolution. Indeed. Madam Speaker. our founding documents and the principles upon which our Nation was built reflect our Founding Fathers adherence to JudeoChristian values and ethics. From the 1 million Jews in the United States in 1900. to the 550.000 Jews who served in the U.S. military during World War II. to the Jewish peoples liberated by American forces. to the approximately 6 million Jewish Americans with us today. Jews. Americans. and Jewish Americans have been intertwined in their support for liberty and have been vital to our selfgoverning and culturally rich Republic. Madam Speaker. I would be remiss if I didnt say that this resolution comes at a time when current events have subjected the American Jewish community and Jews around the world to greater concern than they have been subjected to for some time. The statements of madmen who have positions of authority in some countries should have us recall the madman of World War II who said similar things. The descriptions utilized by those who vent hatred today against those of the Jewish faith and Jewish ethnicity. those words of vitriol and hatred can do nothing but foster uncertainty. fear. confusion. and ultimately can incite violence. We should recall that a good portion of the world. the free world. stood silently some 65 or 70 years ago when those words were uttered by Adolf Hitler. some saying he is nothing but a madman and Germany is such a distinguished. scientifically advanced. culturally progressive society. that certainly these words of a madman will never take real form. Yet. we know they did. Today. unfortunately. we hear the words of a madman in the country of Iran. In my judgment. too many people say it doesnt mean much. they are just the rantings of someone without real power and. from a country that has the tremendous history of the Persian culture. they certainly would not act on those statements made by that man. Well. we ought to pay attention to history. I would advise Members of this Chamber. perhaps. to read George Gilders excellent work that was published a year and a half ago called "The Israel Test." In there. he talks about the tremendous contribution of Israelis who have come to the United States and become American citizens and also Americans who have gone to Israel and become tremendous citizens of that country. and the continuing relationship between our two countries and our two cultures. which is to the advantage of both. and the fact that over and over again we have to remind ourselves that those in the State of Israel share common values with the United States and that those common values should not be taken for granted. When they have been taken for granted. they have either been lost or they have been destroyed for some period of time. So. as we today salute this museum for its historic value. we should remember that museums are. in many ways. invitations to study history so that we might not repeat the terrible mistakes of history but. rather. be inspired by the tremendous advances of history. So I would like to thank my good friend for offering this resolution. I would urge all my colleagues to support it. Madam Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.