The Congress today was expected to transmit to President Carter a joint resolution authorizing and requesting him to issue a proclamation designating April 21-28 as “Jewish Heritage Week,” beginning this year. The White House indicated that the resolution, cosponsored by members of both parties, would be signed by the President.
The Senate late yesterday approved the resolution without dissent after Sens. Jacob Javits (R. NY) and Howard Metzenbaum (D. Ohio) asked that it clear the chamber without going through the usual committee procedure. On Monday, the House similarly approved the resolution without dissent.
The resolution was introduced last Jan. 22 by Rep. Joseph Addabbo (D. NY). It carried 225 cosponsors when it was approved under the floor management of Rep. Herbert Harris (D. Va.). The resolution calls “upon the people of the United States, state and local government agencies and interested organizations to observe that week with appropriate ceremonies, activities and programs.”
The resolution notes that “the Congress recognizes that an understanding of the heritage of all American ethnic groups contributes to the unity of our country” and that “inter-group understanding can be further fostered through an appreciation of the culture, history and traditions of the Jewish community and the contributions of Jews to our country and society.”
Several speakers in both chambers noted, as the resolution did, that the month of April contains events of major significance in the Jewish calendar, such as Passover, the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, Israel Independence Day, Solidarity Sunday for Soviet Jewry and Jerusalem Day.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
