Jewish American Heritage Month

Celebrate With Your Library May 1-31, 2023

Throughout the month of May, celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month! There are more than 200 diverse organizations make up a coalition that highlights Jewish culture and traditions, shares educational resources, and hosts in-person and virtual events that showcase the American Jewish community’s
contributions to the United States.

JAHM provides an antidote to antisemitism by helping the general public learn more about Jewish Americans. Celebrating and raising awareness of JAHM and the inextricable links between Jewish Americans and broader American history and culture
help fight antisemitism by breaking down barriers.

May is Jewish American Heritage Month. The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who helped form the fabric of American history, culture, and society.

During May, Jewish American Heritage Month recognizes the contributions American Jews have made and continue to make to this country’s history, culture, and society. The origins of the month began in 1980 with the establishment of Jewish American Week. Through the bi-partisan efforts of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and the late Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the month was established in 2006 by President George W. Bush to honor Jewish Americans’ contributions and achievements and educate all Americans. It has been continued since then by presidential proclamation.

The National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia leads the nationwide celebration that features a month-long series of events, including a virtual Capitol Hill event on May 10 and the premiere of a documentary about a rabbi who played a key role in the civil rights movement. The museum also offers online tours, exhibitions, artifacts, stories, and educational resources. Read more about the Jewish Women’s Archive, which held its 25th anniversary on November 4, 2021.

(Information courtesy of the National Museum of American Jewish History)

Show your support tag:

#mypcl #parklandcommunitylibrary #MyJAHM #OurSharedHeritage #JewishAmericanHeritageMonth

JewishAmericanHeritage.org is the centralized portal for JAHM, providing access to American Jewish culture, stories, and experience—and home to resources from some of the 200 partner organizations nationwide.

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