Brooks: Celebrating America 250 as Proud Jewish Americans

By Matt Brooks, The Washington Reporter
Friday, May 1, 2026

As the United States of America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding this July, Jewish American Heritage Month offers a fitting moment to reflect on the enduring and profound contributions Jewish Americans have made as part of the fabric of our great nation.

The Jewish American impact begins at the very start of the American Revolution, as Jewish patriots joined and helped to lead the cause of self-determination from the British Empire. Notably, Haym Salomon risked his life on multiple occasions to finance the Continental Army, including a critical loan in 1781, which enabled George Washington's decisive Yorktown campaign, a turning point for American independence.

In 1790, after the war was won, then-President Washington wrote to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, and declared that this new nation "gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." Jewish Americans took President Washington at his word and poured themselves into the great American experiment.

As our country grew, Jewish Americans helped to build its cities, business communities, hospitals, key institutions, and continued to serve bravely alongside fellow citizens on battlefields near and far, including during the bloody Civil War. Benjamin Levy, the first Jewish Medal of Honor recipient, enlisted in 1861 at the age of 16 in the First New York Volunteers as a drummer boy, and carried the Union colors after bearers were shot down at Glendale, saving them from capture and rallying the regiment.

Another Jewish Medal of Honor recipient, Tibor Rubin, was forced into the Mauthausen concentration camp near the end of World War II. But Rubin defied odds: he survived, moved to New York, and joined the same Army that liberated him. Rubin is quoted as saying, "I always wanted to become a citizen of the United States and when I became a citizen it was one of the happiest days in my life. I think about the United States and I am a lucky person to live here. When I came to America, it was the first time I was free. It was one of the reasons I joined the U.S. Army because I wanted to show my appreciation." This, at its core, is true unadulterated Jewish American patriotism.

In the 20th century, Jewish Americans' impact grew even more profound in the arts, sciences, and medicine. Albert Einstein, who found refuge in America from the Nazi regime, enriched the scientific life of the nation and became a symbol of intellectual curiosity and independent thinking. Henry Kissinger, another refugee from Europe, rose to become one of the most consequential diplomats in modern American history, serving as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Jewish Americans also helped to define our cultural identity. Irving Berlin, who arrived at Ellis Island when he was just a young boy, would go on to write America's prayer, "God Bless America," a song that encapsulates the aspirational promise of our country. Stan Lee expanded the American imagination, creating superheroes who reflected courage, strength, and resilience. His heroes were outsiders who became champions, nobodies who became somebodies, giving hope and inspiration to anyone who read his stories. The legendary Mel Brooks used comedy to affirm joy in the face of darkness. Through his films like "The Producers" and "Blazing Saddles," Brooks reminded generations that laughter can be one of freedom's most powerful acts.

In the present day, the Trump administration includes esteemed Jewish Americans like Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling, Staff Secretary Will Scharf, Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, and others, working 24/7 to protect and deliver for our great Republic.

For generations, from soldiers to scholars, judges to entrepreneurs, teachers to doctors, artists to politicians, Jews have sought to nobly advance the purpose and promise of America after millennia of persecution and struggle. As President Donald Trump eloquently stated, "the American experiment offered something providential - an escape from every indignity, every abuse, and every tragedy visited upon the Jewish people over their long history."

To those who ignorantly choose to view America in the worst light and attack our country's proud history, culture, and exceptionalism, we say: We know what America has given us, and we never take it for granted.

The legacy of Jewish Americans goes hand in hand with the American story. And on this momentous semiquincentennial of American independence, we are more grateful than ever for the shining beacon of freedom and hope that we and our families have helped to build and advance.

Jewish American pride in our country is boundless and will never fade.

May God continue to bless the United States of America, our home sweet home.

Matthew Brooks is CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

This article appeared on The Washington Reporter website on May 1, 2026.