HR0428 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0428 LRB103 34657 LAW 64500 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize Claire Maddie Eisenstadt for her efforts to advocate for and fight prejudice against the Jewish community; and

WHEREAS, Claire Eisenstadt, of Northbrook, is the great-granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, and her family are members of three synagogues; she is currently a student at Glenbrook North High School, where she is a member of the swim team, a youth swim instructor, a featured dancer in dance and musical theater performances, and the first chair trumpet player of her school band; she was also a student of a sanctioned Hebrew high school; and

WHEREAS, While attending Glenbrook North High School, Claire Eisenstadt developed skills in leadership and Jewish advocacy; during her study of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, she noticed that anti-Semitic tropes and stereotypes were going unacknowledged in class, which she brought to the attention of the school administration; through collaboration with the chair and faculty of the English Department, she advised the revision and amendment of the curriculum to incorporate discussion of anti-Semitism within the novel and to educate future English classes on the harm anti-Semitism can cause; for her efforts, she was recognized by Hadassah with a Leaders of Tomorrow Camp Scholarship Award, announced in the organization's national magazine and published in Jewish Chicago: The JUF Magazine; and

WHEREAS, In August 2022, Claire was asked to plan, organize, and lead the Holocaust Remembrance Assembly that would take place at Glenbrook North High School in April 2023; she was instrumental in the management and production of this event, providing significant knowledge and content; under her leadership, the event was an overwhelming success, being featured in a press release and subsequent lead story in Glenbrook High School District 225's quarterly newsletter; she will lead the presentation scheduled for April 2024; and

WHEREAS, Claire Eisenstadt is active in several Jewish youth groups, including Young Judea, United Synagogue Youth (USY), Bnai Brith Youth Organization (BBYO), and National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY); she founded the Young Judea Chicago Chapter in May 2022 and serves as the current president; she served as vice president of USY Jewish Education from August 2022 to June 2023, as vice president of BBYO Jewish Education from January 2022 to June 2022, and as a member of the NCSY General Board from September 2021 to June 2022; and

WHEREAS, While a sophomore, Claire Eisenstadt was invited to join the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Leaders For Tomorrow (LFT) youth leadership program, supported by Congressman Brad Schneider; in recognition of her incredible contributions to the AJC LFT program, her passion for the Jewish people and Israel advocacy, her engagement with peers, her ability to invoke critical insight and contribute to a more thoughtful and enjoyable atmosphere, and her strong grasp of Jewish and Israeli history and ability to weave this knowledge seamlessly into her personal narrative as an advocate, she received the highly selective invitation to attend the AJC Global Forum in Tel Aviv Israel in June 2023; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Claire Maddie Eisenstadt for her work on promoting Jewish identity, combating anti-Semitism, and representing the Jewish community on a global stage, and we wish her continued success in her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Claire Eisenstadt as an expression of our esteem and respect.