Date: 2012-05-30
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you so much. Mr. MURPHY. and thank you for your leadership as a member on the Foreign Affairs Committee. as well. and your commitment and support to a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. also an important issue to those of us in the Jewish community and important to Americans. as Israel is our strongest ally and friend. You are right. and the reason that I wanted you to come down tonight is because growing up as a nice Jewish girl on Long Island. I knew a few folks over your way in Connecticut. being a resident of the triState area. and knowing the rich tradition of political activism and involvement of Jewish leaders in Connecticut and your leadership. You know. we will call you an honorary Jew tonightMurphyberg. or something like that. But thank you so much for your leadership on behalf of your constituents and your State. and thank you for joining me this evening to honor the contributions of American Jews to the fabric and the tapestry of American life. Mr. Speaker. I am going to wrap up here in a few moments. I want to share a few other things to help tie a ribbon on the secondtolast day of Jewish American Heritage Month. Well wrap up tomorrow. I want to share a story of a Floridian. because oftentimescertainly. recentlyFlorida would be wellknown for our significant. sizable. and accomplished Jewish community. particularly in south Florida. where my district is. I like to say that Im the person that represents paradise down our way in south Florida. But the paradise that we see today in south Florida was mostly swamp land many. many years ago. And so the pioneers that blazed the trail that allowed for the vibrant communities that we have in our State really were just thatthey were pioneers. I want to share a story of one of those pioneers. For example. Moses Elias Levy. who lived from 1782 to 1854. was one of the earliest and largest developers in the State of Florida. At his Pilgrimage Plantation. which was the first Jewish communitarian settlement in our country. Moses housed several Jewish German families while reintroducing sugarcane to our State. Thanks to his cultivation of the first sugarcane plantation in Alachua County. which also has the good fortune of being the home county to the University of Florida. my alma matergo. GatorsFlorida boasts a thriving sugar production market today. and that can be traced directly to Moses Elias Levy. As a civil rights activist. thoughthats the contribution that I want to highlightas Americas first Jewish abolitionist author. Levy exemplified not only the American entrepreneurial spirit. but the Jewish value that weve been talking about here this evening of tikkun olamrepairing the world. He was an early and ardent advocate for public education for both boys and girlsand that also was not common back then. Education was typically more often left for boys. and girls were kind of lucky if they had someone in their lives that encouraged them to get an education and to continue it for any length of time. So Im proud to remember Moses Elias Levys early contributions and dedication to education and gender equality. Interestingly enough. Levy County today is named after this gentleman. as well as David Yulee Levy. who was our first United States Senator in the State of Florida. and who was also an American Jew. The other thing I want to mention. Mr. Speaker. is it is also not often that Americans are aware of Jewish contributions to our military history. And there is a way that people can get educated about American Jewish contributions to the military history throughout our history of involvement militarily by going and visiting the National Museum of American Jewish Military History. which is in our Nations Capitol on Dupont Circle. I had an opportunity to host a Jewish American Heritage Month event month there a few years ago. and was really thrilled to learn about the contributions all the way back. Mr. Speaker. to the Revolutionary War. Jews were not only a part of fighting the Revolutionary War and fighting for freedom in the United States. but also financing and making sureHaym Solomon was an important figure in ensuring that the Minutemen had the resources under George Washingtons leadership to ultimately be able to make sure that we have a country and that we are the beacon of freedom across the world that we are today. That was in no small measures thanks to the contributions of Jews who were pioneers here in America. Lastly. Mr. Speaker. I want to share some of the really unique and wonderful events that have happened throughout Jewish American Heritage Month. and that we will continue to foster and thrive in and encourage both Jews and nonJews to celebrate these rich traditions. Earlier this month. right at the beginning. on May 2. there was a focus and program on "Religion and Politics: When General Grant Expelled the Jews." Its so important. And Jewish community leaders and religious leaders talk so often about the importance of not forgetting about previous persecution so that we can make sure that history doesnt repeat it. Having an opportunity at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia to hold that lecture so that we are familiar with that history was important. There was also a program in Miami Beach. "Coming to America: The Jewish Impact and the Jewish Response." We had some unique programming. "The American Jewish DeliA History." because food is so important to the Jewish way of life all over the world. That was held in New York City at the Park East Synagogue. Two other important events to highlight were the Jewish American Heritage Month Film Festival. which was held right here in Washington. D.C.. in the Martin Luther King. Jr.. Memorial Library Auditorium. And lastly. the program held in Margate. New Jersey. by the Board of Jewish Education highlighting the contributions of Jewish women in America. As a Jewish woman in America. I am really proud to have been a part of introducing this resolution ensuring that ultimately we were able to honor the contributions of American Jews to our history. but also to make sure that we can help all Americans make it a priority that we promote tolerance. that we reduce antiSemitism. reduce bigotry. and hopefully. Mr. Speaker. reach out to nonJews across this country and help them learn a little bit more about a culture that they may be unfamiliar with. about a tradition and a history that might be a little bit foreign to them. so that we can all come together as were so committed to do in America as one people standing for freedom. standing for tolerance. and standing for justice. I yield back the balance of my time.