Every year, the president of the United States signs a presidential proclamation declaring May as Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). JAHM celebrates the contributions American Jews have made to all facets of American society. From the arrival of Jewish refugees in New Amsterdam (now New York) from Brazil in 1654, to the 37Jewish members of Congress in 2022, American Jewish history is filled with stories of immigration, innovation, triumph, and challenge. Using our curated resource collection, explore the complexity of American Jewry and discuss what makes American Judaism vibrant, unique, and inspiring. 

Jewish American Heritage Month Logo

Learn more about Jewish American Heritage Month.

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Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American preview

A virtual tour of the Museum of American Jewish History's exhibition highlighting Jews in baseball.

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Emma Lazarus

Curriculum about the life of American Jewish activist Emma Lazarus.

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Tenement Museum

Lesson Plan for how we use objects to learn about the past.

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Statue of Liberty

A Curriculum Guide on the Waves of Immigration to America

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American Flag

Lesson plans based on the the PBS series The Jewish Americans.

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George Washington

Use these resources to explore George Washington's relationship with Jews in Colonial America.

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Hands on top of each other

Students will not only look at forms of popular media as a mirror, reflecting (or even distorting) our image, but also in the way that it plays a role in how and why our identity is shaped.

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Rose Schneiderman

Resources to explore the roles of Jews in the Civil Rights and Labor movements.

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Pieces of Mail

Learn about the history of Seattle's Sephardic Community.

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Navigating Jewish American Identity

Students explore their Jewish identity and how it coexists with their identity as Americans.

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Picture of Isahan Iran

Curriculum focusing on the history of Jews in Iran and Iranian Jews in LA.

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Israeli flag in front of American flag

Expose students to American Jewish personalities to help them deal with the tension of being both Jewish and American.

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The History of Black Jews in America

Black Jews have been a part of American history since before the colonial era.

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Let's talk about race by Julius Lester book cover

Spark a classroom discussion about race through the lens of a Black Jewish convert's story.

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A tapestry

Explore the topic of immigration with diverse works drawn from the Jewish Museum collection.

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Freeing Russian Jewry: The Refuseniks

The international Jewish community united in protest of the Soviet policy against Jewish emigration and rallied for Soviet Jews’ freedom.

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Women of the Refuseniks

The 1960s and 1970s ushered in Jewish unity as Jews throughout the world banded together to free Soviet Jews.

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Teaching History Logo

Explores how Abraham Lincoln interacted with Jewish Americans in a time of heightened anti-Semitism.

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Member of Two Tribes Comic Image from National Parks with the word Zion crossed out and the native word Oawingwa written in red

Memoir-style comics that explore being Native-American and Jewish.

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George Washington

Use these resources to explore George Washington's relationship with Jews in Colonial America.

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A collection of small tools

From the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

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