About Jewish American Heritage Month
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 resolutions passed unanimously, first in the
House of Representatives in December 2005 and later in the Senate in
February 2006.
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.
Leading the way in implementation of the annual celebration is the
Jewish American Heritage Month Coalition, formed in March 2007 and
convened by United Jewish Communities, the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of
the American Jewish Archives and the American Jewish Historical Society.
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Young Jewish Boy with Elders at a Passover Ceremony, 04/16/1951 |
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