Jewish American Heritage Month

By FPL_Sunita

A celebration of Jewish American history, culture, and society is held during May in the US in honor of the generations of Jewish Americans' triumphs and bravery and who shaped it over the centuries. The Jewish American community is filled with tons of famous figures, including Albert Einstein, Elie Wiesel and Ruth Bader Ginsburg to name just a few who have made significant contribution. As a recognition of the Jewish communities’ continued achievements, May was declared Jewish American Heritage Month by former president George W. Bush back in 2006.

Learn about some of the World’s most famous Jewish Americans:

1. Albert Einstein: Born in Wurttemberg, Germany in 1879 to a German Jewish family, Albert Einstein went on to become one of the world’s most influential scientists. Einstein’s theories went on to alter our understanding of the universe. He is credited for the creation of the Quantum Theory, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, and the Unified Field Theory. Read more about Albert Einstein, opens a new window with selections from Frisco Public Library.
2. Gloria Steinem: An acclaimed journalist, trailblazing feminist and one of the most passionate leaders of the women’s rights movement in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Gloria Steinem was born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. Read her autobiography My Life on the Road., opens a new window
3. Robert Allen Zimmerman: Robert Allen Zimmerman was born on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota. He went by the stage name Bob Dylan,, opens a new window a pseudonym he adopted early during his musical career. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most popular American singers, musicians and song writers. His lyrics often feature Jewish themes as a tribute to his upbringing in a Jewish family in Minnesota.
4. Stan Lee: Stan Lee, opens a new window, born in New York City on December 28, 1922, to a Romanian-born Jewish immigrant, was a Jewish American comic book writer, editor, and publisher and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
5. Elie Wiesel: Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel was a Holocaust survivor, award-winning novelist, journalist, human rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient born on September 30, 1928, in a Romanian Jewish village. Read more about “Elie Wiesel, opens a new window”.

Check out more selections which feature Jewish American romance, friendship, nonfiction, biographies, and Jewish American history.

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Jewish American Heritage Month book list, opens a new window

Additional Resources:

Jewish American history from the 17th century to present day JAHM Jewish American Heritage Month, opens a new window

Washington State Jewish Historical Society, opens a new window fosters awareness and appreciation of the experiences, the diverse culture, and the significant contributions of Jews, past and present.

The Library of Congress has Online Jewish American Heritage Month Exhibits, opens a new window from the Library of Congress, the National Archives, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, and the National Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The National Archives: Jewish American Heritage Month, opens a new window site has lectures, videos and records.     

The American Jewish Historical Society, opens a new window provides access to more than 30 million documents and 50,000 books, photographs, art and artifacts that reflect the history of the Jewish presence in the U.S. from 1654 to the present.