photo courtesy of the New York Times

Today’s Date: April 20, 2009

Claim to Fame: Amateau, an immigrant of Jewish descent from Turkey, worked diligently on behalf of the under-represented in America during his time. Just to name a few of the HUGE things he did: He created and directed a voter registration drive among immigrants from all backgrounds. As head of the American Interracial Council before World War II, he worked to improve relations between different ethnic groups. In 1992, to further peaceful Jewish-Muslim relations, he commemorated 500 years of peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Jews in Turkey, by helping to found the American Society of Jewish Friends of Turkey, and was named its honorary president.

Did You Know? If all that wasn’t enough, he was moved by the plight of people with disabilities and securing his ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary, he became the first rabbi of a congregation of the deaf, conducting services in sign language.

True democracy involves allowing all people to speak and be represented, without which any meaningful dialogue is impossible. Amateau worked to bring a variety of groups together, across ethnic, religious, and even medical divisions, with a focus on people who often lack such access. His tireless work towards unity, respect, and representation is truly inspiring.

Happy Birthday Albert Amateau!

April 20, 2009 by akshay
Tags: Amaeatu, b-days, discrimination, equal representation, Israel, Jean Amateau, Palestine, Turkey
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