Trump proclaims May 'Jewish American Heritage Month'

"Jewish Americans have helped guide the moral character of our Nation," the proclamation reads.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Donald Trump wears a tallit during a church service with Bishop Wayne T. Jackson at the Great Faith Ministries International in downtown Detroit (photo credit: CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS)
Donald Trump wears a tallit during a church service with Bishop Wayne T. Jackson at the Great Faith Ministries International in downtown Detroit
(photo credit: CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS)
May will be designated 'Jewish American Heritage Month,' United States President Donald Trump declared Monday, continuing a 12-year tradition celebrating Jewish Americans.
"Jewish Americans have helped guide the moral character of our Nation," the proclamation reads. "They have maintained a strong commitment to engage deeply in American society while also preserving their historic values and traditions."
The proclamation outlines the "innumerable" contributions Jewish Americans have made to US society, including marching for civil rights in Selma, Alabama and for the freedom of Soviet Jewry. "The indelible marks that American Jews have left on literature, music, cinema and the arts have enriched the American soul," the proclamation reads.
The practice of declaring May as Jewish American Heritage Month was initiated in 2006 by then president George W. Bush. Since then, annual proclamations have been declared by Trump, Bush and former president Barack Obama.
The month features events relating to the Jewish American experience, including a festival celebrating the life of acclaimed musician Leonard Bernstein, discussions with Holocaust survivors, a book talk about Jewish peddlers in America and a panel discussion of American media knowledge of the Holocaust, according to the month's website.
Additional events will also take place across Washington. In past years, presidents have hosted receptions at the White House marking the month, though Trump did not host one last year. The proclamation makes no note of how Trump intends to mark the occasion, though in last year's proclamation he said, "This month, I celebrate with my family ‑‑ including my daughter, Ivanka, my son-in-law, Jared, my grandchildren, and our extended family ‑‑ the deep spiritual connection that binds, and will always bind, the Jewish people to the United States and its founding principles."
The proclamation calls on all Americans to "celebrate the heritage and contributions of American Jews and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities and ceremonies."