Recognizing the month of May as Jewish American Heritage Month in the City of Philadelphia.

Recognizing the month of May as Jewish American Heritage Month in the City of Philadelphia. WHEREAS, Jewish American Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Jewish Americans and to encourage all residents to learn more about Jewish heritage, history, and contributions to the United States; and WHEREAS, Philadelphia has one of the earliest and largest Jewish populations in the United States, with the first Jewish resident recorded in 1703; and WHEREAS, Congregation Mikveh Israel, the first Jewish congregation in Philadelphia and oldest contiguous synagogue in the United States, had its beginnings around 1740 and in 1775 became known as the Synagogue of the Revolution. Mikveh Israel counted among its members revolutionary patriots including Jonas Phillips, the Gratz family, and Haym Solomon who financed the Revolutionary War; and WHEREAS, The Jewish population in the Greater Philadelphia region is comprised of approximately 350,000 individuals of multiple ethnicities and races, representing about 9% of the region’s total population. Four percent of Philadelphia’s population is Jewish, making it one of the largest urban Jewish populations in a United States; and WHEREAS, Jewish Americans have made and continue to make significant contributions to all aspect of American life, serving in government, the military, academia, private industry, technology, and the arts/literature; and WHEREAS, The Philadelphia area is home to multiple major groups of Judaism…