The “New Golden Age,” a coalition of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and Culture Changing Christians (CCC), stands united to condemn the unilateral removal by the National Park Service of educational exhibits about slavery from The President’s House at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

This is more than an administrative decision – it is a clear attempt to sanitize our nation’s history. This historic and educational site was specifically designed to grapple with the “paradox of liberty and slavery,” including how our Nation’s founding documents can, at once, declare boldly that “all men are created equal,” while counting slaves as only three fifths of a person, and denying basic rights to women and people of color. Removing these panels cannot change our Nation’s historical past. Indeed, history shows that denying past mistakes, however uncomfortable, condemns society to repeating them. The truth cannot be erased; we will not stand idly by.

Pastor Carl Day, Founder of Culture Changing Christians, stated: “Removing the slavery exhibit from the President’s House site in Philadelphia is not ‘restoring truth’—it’s erasing it. You cannot celebrate American freedom while hiding the stolen freedom of Black people whose lives were bought, sold, abused, and destroyed on this soil. In the birthplace of democracy, this kind of historical censorship is an insult to our ancestors and a danger to our future. Put the truth back on the wall—because a nation that refuses the truth will repeat its sins.”

Jason Holtzman, Chief of the Jewish Community Relations Council, stated: “Our tradition commands us to Zachor, to remember. Authentic history requires us to face the past fully, ensuring that we do not select only parts that are comfortable. We stand united with our partners in the Black community in our shared belief that the story of our nation is incomplete without including the voices of those who were enslaved. We join the call to restore these exhibits and ensure that the President’s House remains a place of honest education and reflection.”

As a coalition dedicated to rebuilding the historic alliance between the Black and Jewish communities, we view this action as contrary to our shared values. A “more perfect union” is not formed by hiding our imperfections, but by acknowledging them.

We stand in solidarity with all groups advocating in support of this critical installation and the City of Philadelphia in their efforts to reverse this action. We call on the National Park Service to immediately restore the exhibits and to honor the full, complex history of our nation.

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About the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Since 1901, the Jewish Federation has served as the hub of the region’s Jewish communities, providing an infrastructure of support for Jewish people and organizations in need. Through grants, emergency funding, restricted gifts, endowments, and our partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Day Schools, we annually invest in caring for those in need, combating antisemitism and global crisis, and securing a vibrant Jewish future. For more information, please visit: jewishphilly.org.