Wake County Commissioners Proclaim May "Jewish American Heritage Month"

Last Wednesday, May 17th, Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson issued a proclamation that declared May as “Jewish American Heritage Month” in Wake County.

First declared by President George W. Bush in 2006, Jewish American Heritage Month is an “annual recognition of Jewish American achievements and contributions to the United States.”

Comm’r Adamson read the proclamation at the Guld Building on the David R. Kahn Community Campus at 10:30am. Afterwards, Adamson said that this would form the foundation for Wake County to celebrate the contributions of Jewish Americans in the future.

Read the text of the proclamation below:

Proclamation for Jewish American Heritage Month

WHEREAS, on April 20, 2006, after resolutions passed unanimously in both houses of Congress, President George W. Bush proclaimed that May would be Jewish American Heritage Month to recognize the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to America and American culture; and

WHEREAS, Jewish American Heritage Month is an annual celebration of Jewish Americans who have helped weave the fabric of American history, culture, and society; and

WHEREAS, Moses Mordecai was the first Jew to settle in Wake County in 1810, and the first synagogue was established in 1883; Wake County today is home to the Jewish Federation of Greater Raleigh, seven synagogues, Hillel, an organization for Jewish students at North Carolina State University, and a growing Jewish population;

WHEREAS, Jewish American Heritage Month acknowledges achievements of American Jews in the fields of sports, arts, entertainment, medicine, business, science, government, military service, music, and more; and

WHEREAS, the Jewish people have prospered in America but have experienced prejudice and discrimination, and Jewish communities continue to confront hostility and bigotry; the County of Wake condemns and will combat anti-Semitism and hatred wherever it exists; and

WHEREAS, Jewish American Heritage Month pays tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who have helped form the fabric of American History; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Wake County Commissioners do hereby proclaim the month of May 2023 as Jewish American Heritage Month in the County of Wake, State of North Carolina.

L to R: JCRC Chair Judah Segal, Susan Goldhaber, Mark Goldhaber, CEO Phil Brodsky, President Amy Bush, Commissioner Vickie Adamson, Michael Abramson, Craig Meddin