title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING MAY 2026 AS JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
WHEREAS, Jewish American Heritage Month is an annual celebration of the history and contributions of Jewish Americans, providing an opportunity to recognize the enduring legacy of Jewish culture and faith in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Jewish American Heritage Month allows for reflection on the accomplishments and contributions of Jewish Americans and promotes understanding, acceptance, and respect for all cultures and religions; and
WHEREAS, Jewish American Heritage Month provides an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments and contributions of Jewish Americans; and
WHEREAS, Jewish American trailblazers include social activist and leading figure in the women's movement Bella Abzug, singer-songwriter Paul Simon, Olympic gold medal swimmer Mark Spitz, and Nobel Prize winning chemist Gertrude Elion whose discoveries made treatments for childhood leukemia, hepatitis, arthritis and organ transplantation possible; and
WHEREAS, an estimated 2.4% of the American population, or 7.5 million adults and children, identify as Jewish. Like all demographic groups, Jews hold differences in politics, race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and all backgrounds; and
WHEREAS, an estimated 320,000 Jewish people call the Cook County region home; and
WHEREAS, between January 2025 and January 2026, 11,645 bias incidents were reported to the FBI, of which, 22% of them were motivated by religion; and
WHEREAS, the Jewish American community faced 1,544 incidents of discrimination, or 58.7% of all religiously motivated bias incidents; and
WHEREAS, Jewish American community utilizes the core tenant of Tikkun Olam, the practice repairing the breaches of justice in the world through justice and equality, as a touchstone and guiding principle; and
WHEREAS, to address the root causes of bias, discrimination, and all injustice, including antisemitism, the Cook County United Against...
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