March 22, 2013

(JTA) — President Obama has declared Friday “Education and Sharing Day” in tribute to the late Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, whose birthday is March 22.

“This day recalls the memory of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who taught generations of young men and women the importance of education and good character,” Obama wrote in a Presidential Proclamation posted on the White House website on Thursday. It said Obama signed the document on Thursday, during his first presidential visit to Israel.

“I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities,” read the proclamation, which stressed the importance of education.

The document also said that the work carried out by Schneerson, who died in 1994, “strengthened ties between people around the world, and his legacy continues to inspire the service, charity, and goodwill he championed in life. As we reflect on the example he and so many others have set, let each of us strive to better realize the values we share.”

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