Presidential proclamations and executive orders have been used by presidents to rule on substantive issues of law; to administrate the executive branch of government; and to make general announcements to the public. These general announcements, which may exhort the public to observe a holiday such as Thanksgiving, or honor a particular group of citizens as in National Black History Month, are usually issued in the form of a presidential proclamation. On many occasions Congress will pass a law specifically requesting the president to take certain action proclaiming the recognition of a particular group of citizens as Jewish or Hispanic Americans.

Presidential proclamations, as well as presidential statements, messages, and remarks for Jewish Heritage Week or Jewish American Heritage Month, can be searched from the Government Publishing Office’s advanced search page in the collections for the Code of Federal Regulations, the Compilation of Presidential Documents, and the Federal Register. For older copies of the Code of Federal Regulations (1938-1995), please visit the Code of Federal Regulations digital collection page on the Law Library of Congress website.

Presidential proclamations on the annual observances of Jewish Heritage Week and Jewish American Heritage Month can also be browsed through the American Presidency Project External by selecting the year to be browsed and clicking on the Apply button. Presidential messages, statements, and remarks before 1993 can be searched from the home page of the American Presidency Project External.

Listed below are links to examples of presidential messages, statements, and proclamations for Jewish Heritage Week and Jewish American Heritage Month, along with the citations to the Code of Federal Regulations or the Federal Register, the official publications for presidential messages and proclamations.