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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 186
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WHEREAS, For more than four decades, every U.S. president |
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has declared the annual observance of Education and Sharing Day |
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in honor of the birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson and |
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his contributions to education; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the most celebrated figures in 20th century |
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Judaism, Rabbi Schneerson was born in Ukraine in 1902; he |
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demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for religious scholarship at |
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a young age, mastering the entire Talmud and many of its |
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commentaries by the age of 17; in the 1920s, he became part of the |
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inner circle of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the leader of the |
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Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Judaism, and he married the Rebbe's |
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daughter, Chaya Mushka; forced to flee Berlin and later Paris |
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because of Nazi anti-Semitism, the couple settled in New York |
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City in 1941; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1951, Rabbi Schneerson officially succeeded |
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his father-in-law as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and over the next 44 |
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years, he built the movement into a worldwide community of |
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200,000 members; a strong advocate for children and education, he |
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believed that schools should stress both academic achievement |
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and character building, and he established several thousand |
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Orthodox Jewish schools and educational centers around the globe |
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before his passing in 1994; and |
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WHEREAS, In recognition of Rabbi Schneerson's advocacy, |
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President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the first Education and |
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Sharing Day in 1978, and the tradition has continued each year |
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since; the rabbi's birthday is celebrated on 11 Nissan of the |
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Jewish liturgical calendar, or four days before Passover, and in |
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2021 it falls on March 24; his accolades further include a |
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Congressional Gold Medal, which he received posthumously in |
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1995; and |
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WHEREAS, In the midst of a global pandemic that has disrupted |
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traditional models of education across the nation, Education and |
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Sharing Day represents an important opportunity for Texans to |
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reflect not just on how to foster academic achievement in young |
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people but also on the core values that should be imparted to |
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children and adults alike; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 87th Texas Legislature |
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hereby recognize March 24, 2021, as Education and Sharing Day. |
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Menéndez, Blanco |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on March 24, 2021. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |