A plaque in Austin, Texas commemorating the order to abolish slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. Photo: Wikimedia

US Jewish organizations on Sunday celebrated the Juneteenth federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of African-American slaves at the close of the American Civil War.

“Today is Juneteenth, which symbolizes the end of slavery in the US However, systems of anti-Black oppression did not end in our country with emancipation, and they still exist today,” the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) tweeted. “We must stay committed to the fight for racial equity.”

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) tweeted that the holiday marked “the end of slavery in the United States.”

“On this day we reflect on the struggle for freedom in America for people of color and recommit to working to create a more just society without racism, bigotry, and hate,” the AJC tweeted.

Separately, the World Jewish Congress (WJC) observed that the name of the holiday, combining the words “June” and “nineteenth,” commemorates “the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas were informed of the Emancipation Proclamation — and of their freedom from slavery. On Juneteenth, we recommit ourselves to the work of equality.”

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the emancipation of more than 250,000 African Americans who were enslaved in the state, following the issue of General Order No. 3 by Gen. Gordon Granger. Although the Emancipation Proclamation legally abolished slavery in Confederate states in 1863, African-Americans in areas still under the control of the secessionist slave power were not freed until this day two years later.

Last week, US President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday.  “This will go down for me as one of the greatest honors I will have as president,” Biden said.

In a statement, the US Ambassador to the United Nations paid tribute to her enslaved ancestors.

“That very same year, in 1865, my great-grandmother Mary Thomas was born as the child of a slave,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield wrote. “Even though I am only three generations removed from her, I have had the remarkable honor and privilege of representing to the world what the United States can be if we fully live up to our values and ideals. Throughout our nation’s history, African-Americans have made vital contributions to our collective progress and to our guiding aspirations for a freer, fairer world.”