May: Jewish American Heritage Month
In 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month. To this day, it continues to be celebrated nationally each May with individuals and organizations coming together to celebrate the vibrant and varied American Jewish experience. “Jewish” describes both an ethnicity and a religion, and Jewish people can be found all over the world, speaking every language and of every race. Much like the global Jewish experience, the makeup and stories of American Jews are varied and complex. We invite you to learn more about our Jewish community members this May and find ways to support them and all people living and thriving in Durham.
Equitable Well Being Activity
Take a quick lunch break this month to watch the Jewish Heritage North Carolina, Jewish Durham city tour to learn about how Jewish Americans influenced Durham and helped it to become the city we know today. Also, check out the amazing calendar of events hosted by Jewish for Good and find ways to engage today!
Connect
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service 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. Find resources, stories, and events to learn more about Jewish American Heritage Month and Jewish Americans here.
The organization Jewish Heritage North Carolina has a local group and resources in Chapel Hill and Durham and Jewish for Good is located here in Durham. Check out their websites to see the opportunities for Jewish individuals and allies to get involved. Additionally, the Duke Center for Jewish Studies, the South’s first such program, was founded in 1943 while the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies at UNC dates to 2003. The campuses together have about 2,700 Jewish students.
Learn
You can find most of these books for free at our very own Durham County Library, and many of them are also on audiobook!
- The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Franke
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- The Jewish South by Shari Rabin
- The Barefoot Book of Jewish Tales by Shoshana Boyd Gelfand
- The movie of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, or the book by John Boyne).
- My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
- What Jewish Looks Like by Liz Kleinrock
- When We Were Arabs by Massoud Hayoun
Do
There are very few things in the world more universal and communal than music and food. Gather your family and friends and choose recipes and their stories from cookbooks like My Life in Recipes by JoAn Nathan, or Jerusalem A Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Turn on your Spotify or other favorite music platform and broaden your horizons with a Jewish playlist!
Discuss
Here are some questions to start conversations with others about Jewish American History Month. For leaders, try building in time in supervisions or team meetings to prompt staff conversations about Jewish American History Month. Options could include:
- Did you learn anything new about Jewish American History this month?
- Have you made any new personal or professional connections this month that can help you support Jewish Americans?
- Did you learn anything new about Jewish American’s History or the experience of Jewish American people this month?
- How did you participate in Jewish American Heritage Month?
- How can things you learned or did for Jewish American Heritage Month impact how you do your job?