In honor of Jewish Heritage Month (May), this blog will feature special notes on resources provided by the Center for Jewish History and its partners that you can use to discover more about your genealogy, the history of the Jewish communities in your ancestral towns, Jewish engagement with the arts, and aspects of rich traditions surrounding both religious rituals and cultural identities. The resources you’ll learn about are accessible both onsite and online.
First, the blog will focus on genealogy. Stay tuned to learn more about the resources that the Center for Jewish History offers, and about new partnerships that will help you to learn more about your family history. The national observance of Jewish Heritage Month is the perfect time to reconnect with Jewish roots and consider the ways in which your genealogical past will figure into your present and future.
About Jewish Heritage Month (from the official website):
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.