Jewish American Heritage Month

May Is Jewish American Heritage Month

Since 2006, the United States has observed Jewish American Heritage Month each May. The President’s proclamation and recognition is a good reminder of the rich contributions of Jewish Americans to the United States and an opportunity to honor and celebrate the lives of those who have greatly impacted and contributed to our communities. As with all heritage and history months, the inclusion of Jewish Americans should not be limited to one month or center only on a single moment of oppression such as instruction about the Holocaust. Rather, it can be a time to educate and combat modern antisemitism in Oregon and across the United States. The resources below encourage teachers and students to explore the diverse history, culture, and achievements of Jewish Americans, as well as ways to address acts of discrimination targeted at Jewish Americans.

Heritage Month Resources 

Library of Congress and National Archive

Jewish Life in Rural Oregon

PEW Research on Jewish Americans

Video on "Jewish" Language

Video: Jewish Life in America

Combatting Antisemitism-Facing History, ADL, The UN

iWitness and HBO documentary Films

Available now from iWitness, this short HBO documentary film, The Number on Great-Grandpa's Arm, introduces viewers to the Holocaust through a conversation between a young American boy and his great-grandpa, Auschwitz survivor Jack Feldman. This powerful documentary and accompanying teacher resources offer learners of all ages an opportunity to recognize the importance of empathy and understanding of others, which are especially salient qualities in our current times.

Visit iWitness for a suite of resources to contextualize the film before or after viewing, and a teaching guide for educators and families that supports further conversation beyond the film.

Educator’s Guide

Oregon State University

Public Talk from a Survivor of Auschwitz 

DATE: Thursday, May 18, 7:00-8:15 p.m., Pacific Time

Joe Alexander, "A Dozen Camps" 

Streamed via Zoom and open to all

Registration required. 

To view the event online.

Joseph (he prefers “Joe”) Alexander spent his youth in the town of Koval, Poland, in a family that included his parents, three sisters, and two brothers. Of this family, only he would survive the Holocaust. 

One thing that supports Joe is his drive to teach audiences, and especially young audiences, about the Holocaust. As he has commented, “they say that 70 percent of the children I talk to never heard of the Holocaust, so that is why it is important to speak to them to let them know what happened. To prevent another Holocaust, I am doing as much as I can. I have been [speaking publicly about my experiences] since 1997.”

OJMCHE is reopening with a grand celebration!

OJMCHE is reopening free to the public and offering a new core exhibition, Human Rights After the Holocaust. They are providing two powerful special exhibitions: But a Dream, a series of lithographs by Salvador Dali, and The Jews of Amsterdam, Rembrandt and Pander. 

OJMCHE also provides standards-aligned lessons addressing Oregon’s Holocaust and Genocide mandate. Each lesson is designed to leave students informed and curious to learn more.

Institute of Curriculum Services (ICS) Live Virtual Workshop

May 24th, 4:30-5:30 EST

This live virtual workshop examines the rich diversity and history of Jewish Americans, and provides insights to deepen the understanding of identity for all students. Teachers of world history, U.S. history, ethnic studies, human geography, and world religions will all find relevant applications and resources in this workshop. 

This is a workshop hosted live by an ICS educator and is designed for current and future K-12 educators who teach or plan to teach this content.

For more information, contact info@icsresources.org. Register for the workshop.

ADL Program and Resources

The Anti-Defamation League offers a completely customizable program designed to work with any school. The program engages students and staff in dialogue and active learning on the topics of bias, bullying, inclusion.

The No Place For Hate framework encourages your students, administrators, teachers, and family members to work collaboratively to develop an inclusive school climate approach that fits your needs. With online resources, classroom lesson plans, whole-school activities, and more, No Place for Hate helps you be the driver of change at your school! If you are interested  to learn how to bring this nationally recognized program to your school, ADL offers more information. 

Podcast: GATECRASHER

On October 31, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two separate hearings on race and college admissions: SFFA v. UNC and SFFA v. Harvard. The Court is expected to announce its decisions by June 2023. Audio recordings for the UNC and Harvard cases are now available on the Court’s website. 

Gatecrashers tells the story of early 20th-century attempts to "balance the racial make-up" of the Ivy-League college campus. In eight 50-minute episodes, the podcast visits the history of admission criteria to the Ivy League and the attempts of each school to address concerns about Jewish overrepresentation. Admission to these prestigious schools was not always so highly selective. In the first episode, we learn the origins of the college application, essay, interview, and standardized admission tests, as intentional hurdles to Jewish students hoping to join these elite schools. A fascinating listen about how the Jewish experience in the Ivy League shaped American higher education that might also offer some insights into the potential impact of the upcoming Supreme Court decisions.

Using Primary Sources to Teach Ethnic Studies and Black Histories & Geographies

If you are an Oregon K-12 educator, join the C-GEO Workshop to learn about Using Primary Sources to Teach Ethnic Studies and Black Histories & Geographies. The next workshop will be on June 17, 2023, in Bend, Oregon at the High Desert Museum. The workshop will explore BIPOC histories and geographies, highlight the new Oregon ethnic studies standards, and provide techniques and opportunities for discussions with teachers on multiple perspectives in analyzing primary sources. Additionally, participants have the opportunity to receive a stipend to be an E-book chapter reviewer for the upcoming Black Histories and Geography lessons and activities for classroom use that will be freely available for educators. Registration DEADLINE: May 19, 2023

Media Literacy and Misinformation

Don't miss this discussion on the spread of misinformation featuring Jevin West, Associate Professor, Information School at University of Washington and Lesley James, Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship Program Supervisor for the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Zoom Link

Oregon Historical Society Hatfield Lecture Series

The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century by Peniel E. Joseph

May 23rd, 2023

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

The Oregon Historical Society is offering $10 tickets for educators (promo code: HLS23EDUCATOR) and $5 tickets for students (promo code: HLS23STUDENT) to attend the last lecture in the 2023 Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series with Peniel E. Joseph on Tuesday, May 23, at 7pm. The discount applies to both in-person and virtual tickets. 

Peniel E. Joseph is the Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD) at the University of Texas at Austin. In Joseph’s latest book, The Third Reconstruction, he offers a powerful and personal new interpretation of recent history. The racial reckoning that unfolded in 2020, he argues, marked the climax of a Third Reconstruction: a new struggle for citizenship and dignity for Black Americans, just as momentous as the movements that arose after the Civil War and during the civil rights era. Joseph draws revealing connections and insights across centuries as he traces this Third Reconstruction from the election of Barack Obama to the rise of Black Lives Matter to the failed assault on the U.S. Capitol.