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Governor Bill Lee has issued a proclamation officially recognizing May as Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) in the state of Tennessee.
“As Jewish people around the world face unspeakable persecution, Tennessee is proud to recognize May as Jewish American Heritage Month,” Governor Lee said in a statement provided to the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), which helped facilitate the proclamation. “Our country has a long history of supporting the Nation of Israel, and we will continue to continue to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community against horrific acts of antisemitism and terrorism. Throughout May, we are proud to celebrate Jewish heritage and the Jewish community’s many positive contributions in Tennessee and across the nation.”
The full text of the proclamation can be read HERE.
In 2006, Congress passed a bipartisan resolution urging “the President to issue each year a proclamation calling on state and local governments and the people of the United States to observe an American Jewish History Month.”
Shortly thereafter, then-President George W. Bush declared May as Jewish American Heritage Month.
Since then, successive presidents from both parties have all released annual proclamations emphasizing the integral and unique role Jewish Americans have played in the great American story over the past three and a half centuries.
Local governments — at the state, county, and municipal levels — have begun to follow suit, recognizing JAHM and implementing relevant programs, ceremonies, and activities, and CAM has made a concerted nationwide push to get more to do so in recent years.
In 2023, CAM assisted in JAHM proclamations in more than 70 cities and several dozen more states, including Virginia, Oklahoma, New York City, Richmond, Palm Springs, Palm Beach County, Wichita, Rockford, and Highland Park, among others.
In total, 135 city mayors and 38 state governors recognized JAHM last May, and that number is expected to rise in 2024, with CAM’s continued involvement. Las Vegas and Providence were among the first major cities to do so this year.
Last week, Governor Lee was also among the 27 signatories of a Republican Governors Association (RGA) JAHM proclamation that denounced antisemitism and reiterated support for Israel in the aftermath of the October 7th massacre.
Democratic governors from California, Minnesota, New York, and New Jersey have also issued JAHM proclamations.
