Jewish American Heritage Month Gains Momentum for May Celebration

CINCINNATI, OH—By Congressional resolution and Presidential proclamation, May is Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). This month-long celebration aims to raise the national consciousness regarding contributions Jewish Americans have made to our country’s heritage.

Well-known personalities like Barbara Streisand, Levi Strauss, Sandy Koufax, Estee Lauder, Jonas Salk and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are among the prominent Jews who have contributed to our culture in fields such as sports, arts and entertainment, medicine, business, politics, and science.

These and other American Jews are profiled on the newly launched website, www.jewishamericanheritagemonth.us, which serves as an interactive clearinghouse for programs and activities across the country. Visitors to the site have the opportunity to enter events in their own communities; learn about national programming and garner ideas for local celebrations. The site also provides teacher resources and links to additional sites and resources, including the federal government’s Jewish Amer ican Heritage Month website, www.jewishheritage.gov. Visitors to www.jewishamericanheritagemonth.us can also sign up for regular email updates to keep informed of new developments. Never before has there been a central address for JAHM activities, programs, and events across the country.

Throughout the month of May 2010 a variety of events and programs nationwide will celebrate American Jews who have helped to weave the fabric of our history, culture and society.

This year JAHM is pleased to announce a partnership with BIO Channel of A&E Television Networks. In honor of JAHM 2010, BIO Classroom, which airs on the BIO Channel and features an interactive website online, will devote its four May programs to the following Jewish individuals who have had a major impact on American history and culture: Anne Frank, Albert Einstein, Bobby Fischer and Jon Stewart. BIO Classroom airs every Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. EST.

JAHM 2010 is expected to be the most comprehensive and widely celebrated to date. For the first time since its inception in 2006, JAHM has received federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The IMLS grant in the amount of $143,000 enabled the appointment of a national coordinator and more expansive public relations efforts, as well as the development of the website. In addition, The Manischewitz Company has come on board as a corporate sponsor, utilizing its considerable reputation as the country’s largest Kosher food manufacturer to help make JAHM a household word.

A variety of organizations and institutions in our nation’s capital are expected to participate in JAHM 2010 with events and programs at the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

“As the largest kosher food manufacturer in North America, The Manischewitz Company is honored to have joined the Coalition of this prestigious and noteworthy organization. We are proud to be a part of this national effort to promote further the tremendous accomplishments and contributions that Jews have made to help build this country over the years,” says Paul Bensabat of The Manischewitz Company.

A variety of organizations and institutions are already planning exciting events and programs with more expected to follow.

JAHM’s national coordinator is Abby Schwartz, who is based in Cincinnati, at the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA). Schwartz oversees the JAHM Coalition which consists of the leadership from major national Jewish historical and cultural organizations nationwide including the AJA, the Jewish Women’s Archive, the National Museum of American Jewish History, the Council of American Jewish Museums, and the Jewish Historical Society of Washington, D.C. Schwartz is building a network across the country to increase JAHM’s visibility. She also works closely with the office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who initiated the congressional resolution to make JAHM a reality.

On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that May would be Jewish American Heritage Month. Most recently, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation on May, 12, 2009 in which he stated that “The United States would not be the country we know without the achievements of Jewish Americans.”