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Last updated: May 20, 2026
Nearly 200 lawmakers, congressional staff, Jewish community leaders, and special guests — including Sam Salz, the first Orthodox Jew to play Division I college football — gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning for a breakfast honoring Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM).
The annual event — hosted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and Jewish Federations of North America, in partnership with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History — featured a keynote presentation by Salz, as well as remarks from a bipartisan group of Senate and House of Representative members.
The lineup of lawmakers who addressed the breakfast included: Rep. David Kustoff (R TN-8), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D FL-25), Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), Rep. Virginia Foxx (R NC-5), Rep. Timothy Kennedy (D NY-26), Rep. Haley Stevens (D MI-11), Rep. Don Bacon (R NE-2), Rep. Brad Schneider (D IL-10), Rep. Randy Weber (R TX-14), Rep. Mark Harris (R NC-8), and Rep. Randy Fine (R FL-6).
Additional Congress members who attended included: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D NJ-5), Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R IA-2), Rep. Wesley Bell (D MO-1), Rep. Madeline Dean (D PA-4), Rep. Kim Schrier (D WA-8), House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R OH-4), and Rep. Dan Goldman (D NY-10).
Rep. Kustoff addressed the global rise of antisemitism in the aftermath of the October 7th massacre, asking, “How do we combat it? That is the magic question. We know that antisemitism has been around as long as the Jews have. There’s no easy, push-button answer. What each of us has to do is continue to call it out and show it exists all over. I’ll do that, and I’m proud that so many of my Republican and Democratic colleagues continue to do that. Let’s keep working. Let’s keep fighting.”
Rep. Wasserman Schultz said, “It’s essential to seize this opportunity in the month of May to build awareness of the role Jewish Americans play in our country’s success. The best tool in the toolbox to counter baseless conspiracy theories, ignorance, and bigotry is education and sunlight. The mission of JAHM is clear — to educate our neighbors, to build broad, cross-community coalitions, and be embraced and celebrated, rather than tolerated. It’s essential, it’s achievable, and it’s fundamentally American.”
Other speakers included CAM President of U.S. Affairs Alyza Lewin, JFNA President and CEO Eric Fingerhut, Conference of Presidents CEO William Daroff, Weitzman Museum Chairman Emeritus Phil Darivoff, and the event was emceed by JFNA Government Relations Subcommittee Chair Dennis Bernard.
Lewin said, “Antisemitism is skyrocketing, and to address antisemitism effectively, you have to not only understand how it manifests and its patterns, but you need to understand Jewishness. You need to understand what it means for Jews to be Jewish, and you need to recognize and appreciate how the values of Judaism and Judeo-Christian ethics form the basis of this country.”
She added, “It is important that we come together to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month and celebrate what Jews in America have contributed over the last 250 years to this country. That’s what we’re here for today.”
Fingerhut said, “We are so proud of this great country that has been so open and so welcoming to the Jewish people. This is the greatest, most open, and freest society for the Jewish Diaspora in the 4,000-year history of the Jewish people. On this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we affirm our commitment to helping this country continue to be a strong, open, and vibrant beacon of freedom for peoples of all faiths from all over the world.”
Daroff said, “Jewish American Heritage Month reminds us that the Jewish story in America does not stand apart from the American story, but forms part of the fabric of our nation’s history, character, and democratic ideals.”
Darivoff said, “American Jewish values are central to the founding of this country and our political thought. Jewish American Heritage Month is an important moment for us to teach all Americans about who Jews are. It’s a huge task and we have a long way to go.”
In his keynote remarks, Salz shared his story of walking on to the Texas A&M roster despite not having played high school football. “The fact you can have the child of an immigrant from Latvia and an immigrant from Uzbekistan come to this beautiful country and be the first Orthodox Jew to play Division I football is the epitome of the American dream,” he said. “I’m proud to stand on the shoulders of all the great Jewish Americans who came before me and helped shape the foundation of this country.”
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 JAHM proclamations, including the latest issued by President Donald Trump two weeks ago.
CAM was among the dozen Jewish organizations that endorsed a bipartisan resolution passed unanimously by the House of Representatives last week recognizing JAHM and condemning rising antisemitism.
In addition to organizing JAHM events in Congress in recent years, CAM has also made a concerted nationwide push to get local governments — at the state, county, and municipal levels — to recognize JAHM and implement relevant programs, ceremonies, and activities.
More than 200 mayors have signed a CAM-organized pledge to proclaim and celebrate JAHM this year.
CAM recently hosted a JAHM kick-off celebration in Savannah, Georgia, with mayors from 50 cities across the United States participating.
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