May is Jewish American Heritage Month, recognizing the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to American culture. Explore the history and find resources below.
History
On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that May would be Jewish American Heritage Month. The announcement was the crowning achievement in an effort by the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish community leaders that resulted in resolutions introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania urging the president to proclaim a month that would recognize the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to American culture.
The month of May was chosen due to the highly successful celebration of the 350th Anniversary of American Jewish History in May 2004, which was organized by the Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History. This coalition was composed of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, the American Jewish Historical Society, the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration.
Resources
- Exhibitions and Collections from Library of Congress, National Art Gallery, and more
- Explore the online exhibits at the Washington State Jewish Historic Society’s digital museum
- Join the Weizman National Museum of American Jewish History in the celebration by using the hashtags #OurSharedHeritage and #JewishAmericanHeritageMonth
- Some history, resources and ways to celebrate: https://jwa.org/discover/throughtheyear/may/jahm
- Read a new book: