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Agenda Item No. 5(G) CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EL CERRITO PROCLAMATION JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2014 WHEREAS, for thousands of years, the Jewish people have sustained their identity and traditions, persevering in the face of persecution. Through generations of enslavement and years of wandering, through forced segregation and the horrors of the Holocaust, they have maintained their holy covenant and lived according to the Torah. Their pursuit of freedom brought multitudes to our Nation’s shores, and today El Cerrito is the proud home to thousands of Jewish Americans. This month, let us honor their tremendous contributions as scientists and artists, as activists and entrepreneurs. And let all of us find inspiration in a story that speaks to the universal human experience, with all of its suffering and all of its salvation; and WHEREAS, this history led many Jewish Americans to find common cause with the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans and Jewish Americans marched side-by-side in Selma and Montgomery. They boarded buses for Freedom Rides together, united in their support of liberty and human dignity. These causes remain just as urgent today. Jewish communities continue to confront anti-Semitism both around the world and, as tragic events mere weeks ago in Kansas reminded us, here in the United States. Following in the footsteps of Jewish civil rights leaders, we must come together across all faiths, reject ignorance and intolerance, and root out hatred wherever it exists; and WHEREAS, in celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month, we also recognize this Country’s unbreakable bond with the nation of Israel. It is a bond that transcends politics, a partnership built on mutual interests and shared ideals. El Cerrito is enriched by diversity and faith, fueled by innovation, and ruled not only by men and women, but also by laws. As we continue working in concert to build a safer, more prosperous, more tolerant world, may our friendship only deepen in the years to come; and WHEREAS, May 2014 is recognized as Jewish American Heritage Month by Congressional resolution and by Presidential Proclamation. NOW THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of El Cerrito hereby approves a proclamation declaring May 2014 as Jewish American Heritage Month in the City of El Cerrito and calls upon all residents to celebrate Jewish Americans who have helped weave the fabric of not only American history, culture and society but also the City of El Cerrito and visit www.JewishHeritageMonth.gov to learn more about the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month, the theme of which is healing the world, with solemn remembrance, appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies. Dated: May 20, 2014 Janet Abelson, Mayor