Durham County

May Heritage & Cultural Highlight: Jewish American Heritage Month 

About 

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 Recommended Activities 

Join in-person or virtually for a Free Jewish American Heritage Concert on Wednesday, May 15 at 6pm ET. This will be an electrifying concert featuring the rich tapestry of traditional Jewish music from Eastern Europe, Turkey, Cuba, South America, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula. Enjoy masterful performances from the exciting lineup of folkloric artists, each weaving their unique sounds and stories into the vibrant fabric of the American Jewish community. Learn more and register here.  

Connecting  

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 wonderful 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. Check out their website 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. 

Learning 

• The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Franke 

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 

• The movie of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, or the book by John Boyne). 

• My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok 

• When We Were Arabs by Massoud Hayoun 

Doing 

There are very few things in the world more universal and communal than music and food. May 3 - 12 you can check out Jewish Food Week and taste all sorts of lovely goodies. 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! 

Conversation Starters 

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?