U.S. President Joe Biden released a statement commemorating Jewish American Heritage Month.

He stated on Tuesday that during May this year, “we celebrate the immeasurable impact of Jewish values, contributions and culture on our nation’s character, and recommit to realizing the promise of America for all Jewish Americans.”

The president recounted American Jewish history, pointing out that in 1654, a group of 23 Jews arrived in New York City and “fought for religious freedom, helping define one of the bedrock principles upon which our nation was built.”

Misha Galperin, president and CEO of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, told JNS that the month “is an opportunity for organizations and people of all backgrounds to learn and celebrate the integral role Jewish Americans have played in shaping our nation over the past four centuries.”

Biden highlighted how “Jewish American suffragists, activists and leaders marched for civil rights, women’s rights and voting rights. Jewish American scientists, doctors and engineers have made scientific breakthroughs that define America as a land of possibilities.”

Reiterating his statement following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israeli civilians, Biden reiterated that “my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad.”