Dr. Billington, Governor Carlin, Members of Congress, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is an honor and a privilege to participate in this ceremony on behalf of the congressionally recognized “Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History.” As Dr. Billington already said, my colleagues on the Commission — Dr. Michael Feldberg of the American Jewish Historical Society, Dr. Greg Bradsher of the National Archives and Records Administration, Dr. Michael Grunberger of the Library of Congress — all have contributed mightily to its endeavors, and they are all here this evening, and they join me in acknowledging the fine support of both Dr. Billington and Governor Carlin, without whom this historic collaboration would never have come into existence.

In the 100th year of his long and productive life, Jacob Rader Marcus (1896-1995) – “Dean of American Jewish Historians” and founding director of the American Jewish Archives – published a collection of historical vignettes entitled Maunderings of a Centenarian. One of the vignettes seems as though it was written to be read on this occasion. He wrote:

Sometime in the 1940s, when I taught Jewish history at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati – I visited the renowned bibliophile Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach in his New York office. I had only recently turned my attention to the task of reconstructing the history of American Jewry, and I had come to ask the distinguished collector if he owned any documents of significance on the history of American Jewry. Rosenbach took me into a private vault where he kept the most valuable volumes and documents in his possession. He pointed my eyes to an old document lying on the vault’s floor, and he said. “There is the most important document on American Jewish history..”

Marcus bent down and picked it up and he set his eyes on an original copy of the Bill of Rights.

As one walks through this magnificent exhibit here at the Library , Dr. Rosenbach’s historical appraisal of the Bill of Rights should never be far from our minds. This wonderful exhibit constitutes a living witness to the fruits of our American Constitution, a document which — as President Washington once observed — endows all citizens alike with “liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.” The Constitution is the bedrock of American society wherein the Jews, an ancient yet tiny minority, have long been a part of the very warp and woof of the American way of life.

In this great land, the Jewish experience has been uniquely transformed and, in turn, American Jewry has contributed significantly to the character of our nation. “From Haven to Home” illustrates this observation brilliantly, and we the members of the Commission are confident that the other commemorative exhibits associated with the Commission — in Cincinnati, New York, and Los Angeles — will radiate this same remarkable lesson.

Now in recognition of their dedicated efforts on behalf of this exhibit as well as on behalf of the Commission, it is my pleasure to provide the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration with a new acquisition. On behalf of “Celebrate 350,” which is the Jewish community’s national organizing committee for this historical commemoration, and it's chair, Mr. Robert Rifkind, who is present this evening, it is my pleasure to present you, Dr. Billington, and you, Governor Carlin, with a limited edition silver medallion commemorating this 350th anniversary of Jewish life in America to be part of the Library and the Archives permanent collection.

Finally, it was Mary Antin (1881-1949), the East European Jewish immigrant turned best-selling American author, who once observed: “It is not I that belong to the past, but it is the past that belongs to me.” This evening, we are all indebted to the Library of Congress and to all those who continually contribute to its strength for providing the general public with a splendid glimpse of an American Jewish past that truly belongs to one and to all. Thank you.