Subject: Re: For DWS formatting/upload remarks for JAHM Reception
From: Kate Houghton <[email-masked]>
To: "Kroll, Amy" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Walsh, Tom" <[email-masked]>, "Banfill, Ryan" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 5 May 2016 05:00:20 -0700

It was actually me and yes needs to be added.

On May 5, 2016, at 6:39 AM, Kroll, Amy <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:

Hi Tom,

Thanks for sending these over, great work! I don't want to speak out of turn here because I'm not sure who's reviewed these before I send to DWS, but I remember Tracie mentioning that she wanted DWS to comment on the thwarted plot to bomb the Aventura synagogue.

The Sun Sentinel article is here: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/crime/fl-aventura-synagogue-attack-medina-20160502-story.html

Her congressional statement is here: https://wassermanschultz.house.gov/press-releases/wasserman-schultz-statement-on-thwarted-aventura-turnberry-jewish-center-attack/

On May 4, 2016, at 6:11 PM, Walsh, Tom <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:

DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
JAHM Celebration – May 5, 2016, 3 p.m.
National Museum of American Jewish History
5-7 minutes
Intro

Good afternoon! I hope everyone had a joyous Passover, and thank you for joining us as we celebrate Jewish American History Month.

And what better place to remember our heritage, celebrate our triumphs, and honor the richness of our shared living legacy than here at the National Museum of American Jewish History.

I want to start by recognizing Ivy Barsky, Julie Taylor and all the staff who make this Museum the beautiful and moving institution that it is.

Pennsylvania’s great public servants, Senator Bob Casey and Representative Brendan Boyle.

Tamia Booker, Stacy Eichner and Morgan Finkelstein are here from our Democratic Convention team. They’ve been working tirelessly to make sure our Convention here in Philadelphia will be the most inclusive, diverse and successful we’ve ever held.

Thank you, Robin Schatz for representing the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia.

And it’s wonderful to have Yaron Sideman [Yah-rown Zide-min], the Consul General of Israel to the Mid-Atlantic with us. We should also recognize that today is Israeli Holocaust Memorial Day - so even as we celebrate Jewish American History, we do it carrying the lessons and human stories of the Holocaust in our hearts.

Personal Story

From a young age, my parents taught me that a central tenet of our faith is tikkun olam – repairing the world.

As active citizens and as Jews, they helped me understand that we have a responsibility to advocate for others and on behalf of justice and righteousness.

We have a responsibility, not just to build a society in which we can prosper, but a society in which everyone can prosper.

This year's JAHM theme – Jewish Americans’ Contributions to Education – gives us the opportunity to celebrate the contributions of those Jews who have been extraordinary advocates for education,

and who, through their work, helped build a better society in which more children have the opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty,

in which the educated are empowered to make their own communities stronger,

and in which ignorance fades and bigotry is diminished.

In short, this month, we celebrate all those who have come before us living out the virtues of tikkun olam through education.

Julius Rosenwald

One of our greatest champions of education was Julius Rosenwald, who will be officially inducted here into the Only in America  Hall of Fame in just a few weeks.

The son of German immigrants, Rosenwald accomplished extraordinary business success and could have lived out his life privately in easy luxury.

But recognizing the plight of African Americans struggling in our society because they lacked access to the education they needed to gain a foothold, he decided to act.

Over the course of his life, he helped build more than nearly 5,000 schools in the American South.

It’s a stunning legacy, and a brilliant example of how actions and activism motivated by faith and care can change the lives of others for the better.

Civil Rights

It’s also a fundamental part of our Jewish story. As President Obama wrote in his proclamation for JAHM:

Many of the Jewish people who reached our Nation's shores throughout our history did so fleeing the oppression they encountered in areas around the world. Driven by the possibility of charting a freer future, they endeavored to make real the promise of America.

His proclamation goes on to make special note of the many Jewish Americans who found a cause in the Civil Rights Movement and cites the example of Rabbi Heschel who wrote, "For many of us the march from Selma to Montgomery was about protest and prayer… Even without words, our march was worship. I felt my legs were praying."

A little over a year ago, I stood at the side of my colleague John Lewis  - who attended one of the Rosenwald schools - on the Edmund Pettus Bridge and listened to him recount the events of Bloody Sunday. I listened to civil rights attorney Fred Gray compel those of us in Congress to continue the fight for civil and voting rights.

I walked alongside Juanita Abernathy as she spoke lovingly of her husband, Ralph, while emphasizing the powerful story of the women of the movement.

And just by listening, I was reminded that through their struggle, so much was accomplished --But there is still so much more work to do.
 Democratic Party

As Chair of the DNC, let me close by just saying a word about the work we have left to do, and the reason why this election is so important to all we must accomplish.

On Tuesday night, Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.

He’s been promising to “make America great again” with some of the nastiest rhetoric and most divisive policy proposals in our history. He’s even been called a modern-day George Wallace.

There’s an old Yiddish saying to describe people like Trump that has some extra meaning here today:

“If his word were a bridge, I’d be afraid to cross it.”

But I am inspired and motivated as a Jew to act out the values of my heritage as a proud Democrat.

And I am inspired and motivated as a Democrat to make sure Donald Trump doesn’t get his way.

And I am inspired and motivated to make sure we win this election, build on the progress of the last seven years, protect voting rights, raise wages, pass comprehensive immigration reform, expand access to health care and give all American children the education they need and deserve to succeed.

Rabbi Heschel said that when he marched, he felt his legs were praying.

Our activism is prayer
Our actions, in service to a greater good, are prayers
And I believe that when we act together, those prayers will be answered in the form of a brighter future for all Americans.

The Democratic Party is proud to stand for justice, equality, and opportunity; we value and respect the rights of every American.

And we need your help in this upcoming election campaign – we need you to volunteer and get involved – and come this November, we need you vote to make sure the next president of the United States is a Democrat.

Thank you for joining us to celebrate today, and Happy Jewish American Heritage Month.