U.S. President Barack Obama signed a proclamation declaring March 22, 2013 – the 111th anniversary of the birth of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson – Education and Sharing Day, USA.
Issued while he was making his first trip to Israel as president, the proclamation stated that the day "recalls the memory of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who taught generations of young men and women the importance of education and good character."
The president continued that the Rebbe's work "strengthened ties between people around the world, and his legacy continues to inspire the service, charity, and goodwill he championed in life."
"As we reflect on the example he and so many others have set," he wrote, "let each of us strive to better realize the values we share."
Emphasizing the importance of education to American society, the president said that: "We also know that learning does not stop when students leave the classroom. Whether at the dinner table or on the field, it is our task as parents, teachers, and mentors to make sure our children grow up practicing the values we preach."
Rabbi Yossie Shemtov, Regional Director of Chabad of Tucson, has noted that the Rebbe saw Education Day U.S.A. as a chance to shine the spotlight on an area that deserves more of our time and resources: Education."
"By education he didn't not merely mean the acquisition of knowledge or career training, but to the building of character, with an emphasis on moral and ethical values," Rabbi Shemtov said.