Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Centennial (1984)

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

These words written by Emma Lazarus, inscribed upon the base of the Statue of Liberty, served as a beacon to those immigrants, certainly to Jews, who saw America as the land of opportunity where they could make a new life for themselves. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island have been, and will continue to be, symbols of hope, freedom and rich cultural heritage that comprise the American way of life.

The centennials of these two great landmarks will be celebrated in 1986 and 1992 respectively. Both of these monuments have fallen into disrepair and decay and a Commission has been formed to restore them to their former glory.

Women’s League for Conservative Judaism supports the campaign of the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Centennial Commission to raise 230 million dollars from the American people for this project, and urges its affiliated Sisterhoods to:

• Educate their membership to the goals of the Commission which are:
  1. To restore and preserve the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island;
  2. To establish a lasting memorial to the millions of immigrants who built our country;
  3. To teach the traditions of LIBERTY through Centennial celebrations.
• Initiate programs and projects to highlight the events.
• Encourage individual participation in community campaigns.