Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) is an annual recognition and celebration of American Jews' achievements and contributions to the United States of America. Held throughout May, it is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to America and the American culture. JAHM encourages communities across the country to educate diverse public audiences about Jewish culture; and spark crucial conversations about the American Jewish past, present and future.
Jewish American Heritage Month powered by Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, provides an overview, resources and a toolkit and ideas to implement within your community and/or school.
Start the JAHM celebration with this one-minute video from the World Jewish Congress.
Read Jewish Books
Read a book celebrating Jewish culture and traditions. Here are a few resources to find good books.
• The Jewish Book Council: Longest running organization that is devoted to celebrating a preserving Jewish literature.
• Fig Tree Book: Focuses on Jewish American Literature and works from around the world that relate to American Jewry.
• 5 books that celebrate Jewish Heritage
Make Jewish Food
Food is a large part of Jewish traditions. You can find different recipes online from a bunch of different Jewish communities. Here are a few of our favorite websites for Jewish food.
• The Nosher:
This website has many traditional and nontraditional Jewish food recipes as well as history on Jewish culinary culture.
• Jewish Food Society:
This is a nonprofit organization that collects Jewish family recipes to preserve, celebrate, and revitalize Jewish Culinary culture.
• Kosher.com:
Features kosher recipes as well as information on what kosher is and how to keep kosher.
Watch Jewish Movies and TV Shows
There are many movies and television shows that celebrate Jewish heritage. Since we have so many favorites, here are a few lists others have compiled:
• 10 Movies Showcasing the Best of American Jewish Life | Reform Judaism
• 10 Movies for Jewish American Heritage Month - The Picture House
• 14 Binge-Worthy Jewish TV Shows | Reform Judaism
Listen to Jewish Music
Music is a big part of Jewish culture. Here are a few playlists to get you out of your seat and dancing.
• Traditional Jewish Music
• Jewish Kids Songs- Preschool
• JGP Israeli Songs
• Upbeat Jewish Music
Attend Jewish American Heritage Concert, Kennedy Center, Wednesday, May 15th
Learn about Famous Jewish People
There are so many Jews who have contributed to our nation’s rich history, our present and our future. The links below only scratch the surface of famous Jewish Americans.
15 Most Famous Jewish Americans Who Changed the World
LGBTQ Jewish Heroes
20 Black Jews you should know
Visit a Jewish Museum
We’re fortunate to live in an area that has so many wonderful museums telling the story of Jewish Americans. And even if you can’t’ make it in person, many offer virtual tours or online resources.
Teach your children about Jewish history by visiting one of these museums either virtually or in person. Here are a few good options:
• Jewish Museum of Maryland; Located in Baltimore, this museum is for connecting with Jewish life, history, culture, and art.
• The Tenement Museum; This is a museum located in New York that focuses on telling the story of the working class citizens who immigrated to the United States into tenement housing. Take a look at some of their online exhibits.
• Capital Jewish Museum; Local museum that will open in person June 2023. Current website includes some local Jewish history.
Explore Additional Resources for Jewish American Heritage Month including K-12 curriculum
Institute for Curriculum Services offers Live Virtual Workshops for teachers.
Unpacked for Educators creates the things you need to make teaching easier.
Jewish American Heritage Month
This is a compilation of resources from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Library of Congress, and other organizations to celebrate Jewish American History.
EDSITEment
EDSITEment provides educational resources on the history of the Jewish people in America.
The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of American Jewish Archives
This is an educational tool with many primary source documents you can read through about American Jewry.
Emory University
Resources from the Woodruff Library
Jewish American Heritage Month Lesson Plans
This is good resource for teaching children about Jewish Heritage.
American Jewish Committee
AJC provides resources for Jewish American Heritage Month.
Anti-Defamation League
The ADL provides resources for families and educators to talk about the Holocaust and Antisemitism.