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Celebrating German American Day in Mineola, Nassau County
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- Press Consul Jochen Wolter and the Hon. Justice Ute Wolff Lally, surrounded by students and teachers of the Garden City Middle School
- (© GKNY)
To celebrate German-American friendship, the Press Consul of the Consulate General, Jochen Wolter, participated in German American Day in Mineola, Nassau County on Thursday, October 8th. He followed an invitation by the Hon. Justice Ute Wolff Lally and the American Cultural Council. Taking place in front of the Old Courthouse, the celebration also featured German-learning schoolchildren of several classes from the Garden City Middle School. County Executive Tom Suozzi also held an address.
In his first appearance as Press Consul, Mr Wolter thanked all those German-Americans, "who have been working so hard to preserve our German heritage, culture and language here in Nassau County." Mr Wolter expressed his appreciation of Judge Lally's commitment to the case of German-American friendship. "This involvement is a valuable part of the German-American relations and helps foster understanding between Germans and Americans," Mr Wolter said.
Today, about 22 percent of all Americans identify themselves as being of German ancestry, whereas 15 percent have proven German ancestors, making up one of America’s largest ethnic group. Mr Wolter highlighted the significant contributions of Germans in America's history - such as Friedrich von Steuben's training of the troops during the American Revolution or Carl Schurz's support for the abolishment of slavery under Abraham Lincoln.
Citing President Ronald Reagan, Mr Wolter said, “few people have blended so completely into the multicultural tapestry of American society and yet have made such singular economic, political, social, scientific, and cultural contributions to the growth and success of these United States as have Americans of German extraction.”
