For all those who scoff at the notion of American exceptionalism, you should have heard Amy Gutmann’s address last week at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. The former Penn president and U.S. Ambassador to Germany — the country her father’s family fled in 1937 — was there to accept the “Only In America” award.
It was a night of uplifting speechmaking. Among them: Citizen Chairman, former Penn Chair and US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen, as well as Governor Josh Shapiro and NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell. But it was Gutmann who reminded the crowd that the notion of American exceptionalism need not be seen as jingoistic or marked by hubris. Instead, the award’s title really ought to have deep meaning for us all, a nation built again and again by strivers and seekers and seers.
In telling her family’s story, Gutmann told the story not only of her faith but of her country. At a time of great divide, Gutmann chose to be personal and universal at the same time, to remind us of what it means to be one’s countryman.
“My family story, at its core, is an American story, where the only thing separating a refugee scrap metal dealer and an Ivy League president and U.S. ambassador is — you know it — one generation,” she said.
Check it out below, for its kind tone, its spirit of generosity, and its reminder of the power of our communal mission: “Tikkun Olam,” the teaching of Gutmann’s favorite philosopher, Rabbi Hillel the Elder, to “Repair the World.”
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