May Virtual Display #2: Jewish American Heritage Month
In 2006 the White House declared May to be Jewish American Heritage Month in recognition of the many contributions by Jewish communities to American culture and society. For more information about Jewish American Heritage Month and the history of Jews in America check out the Library of Congress website for Jewish American Heritage Month and on the National Museum of American Jewish History website.
Follow the links below to check out some ebooks, videos, articles, and other digital resources. To access ebooks click the link next to “Get It Now At:” and sign in with your lab username and password. Some may have a link at the top of the page that says “Check for full text” instead. Non-Clark Libraries resources do not require a Clark Labs account.
eBooks from Clark College Libraries
Outside Resources
Articles
“There’s this problematic narrative, that Jews of color are new to the community because they’re converts or part of mixed marriages, and that’s not true,” Berman said. “For some Jews of color, that’s part of their story, but there have always been Jews of color. It’s where Judaism started.”
(Note to Clark students and staff: If you have trouble accessing this article try using this link to access the Washington Post through the Clark Libraries Databases. Search for the title of the article on one of the databases and you should be able to access the article for free.)
10 Vital Jewish Resources on Disability Awareness and Inclusion – Jane E. Herman, reformjudaism.org
“Whether in our schools, homes, or congregations, we must embrace all opportunities to support and include people with disabilities in Jewish life – not just during Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, but throughout the year and always.”
At the Intersection of Queer and Jewish: A Reflection – Marques Hollie, reformjudaism.org
“I am a visible, married, queer Jew of color. These various identities have been repeatedly validated in Jewish and non-Jewish spaces. As such, I can’t help but recognize that the life I am able to live today would not have been possible without our queer forebears and the work they did leading up to, during, and after the Stonewall rebellion of 1969.”
Orthodox Judaism: Background & Overview – jewishvirtuallibrary.org
“Orthodox Judaism is not a unified movement with a single governing body, but many different movements adhering to common principles. All of the Orthodox movements are very similar in their observance and beliefs, differing only in the details that are emphasized. They also differ in their attitudes toward modern culture and the state of Israel.”
14 Jews Who Changed Queer History Forever – Arielle Kaplan, Alma
“From Gaby Dunn and King Princess to Ben Platt and Troye Sivan, we’ve written extensively about queer Jewish icons we admire in pop culture. But now, I’m going to give you a brief history lesson about 14 badass LGBTQIA+ Jews who changed queer history forever. Get your notebooks and number 2 pencils out!”
I Am a Jewish Teen and I Support the Palestinian Cause – Hannah Karp, Teen Vogue
“In this op-ed, Hannah Karp, a 19-year-old Smith College student and member of IfNotNow, an organization that says they “seek to end American Jewish support for the occupation,” explains a moral crisis they are facing as a member of the Jewish community concerning Palestinian rights.”
“Still, several young Jewish residents in Pittsburgh also told BuzzFeed News that although they were fearful of anti-Semitism — some for the first time in their lives — the attack had also made them more determined than ever to embrace their identity.”
Stop Otherizing Haredi Jews – Avi Shafran, New York Times
“We’re your neighbors, recognizable by our men in dark suits and black hats (for the subset among us called Hasidim, fur hats on the Sabbath and holidays), our women in modest dress and wigs or with kerchief hair coverings.”
Websites
“Alma [ahl-ma] is a Hebrew word meaning a woman of childbearing age who has not had kids. Which is really weird and oddly specific, we know. When Alma launched in 2017, we called ourselves a publication for “ladies with chutzpah,” one that would cover everything from Jewish pop culture to what’s happening in the news to personal pieces about identity, feminism, and more. We still do all that, though these days we think of ourselves as a publication for anyone — regardless of gender — who cares about Jewish identity and culture and how they fit into everyday life. Still with lots of chutzpah.”
“We are building a bigger tent for nonbinary Jews through a third-gender grammar systematics for Hebrew, guided by our Torah and Talmud that teach us to rejoice that which cannot be neatly categorized.”
“The Jewish Food Society’s mission is to honor and revitalize Jewish culinary traditions, but you don’t have to be Jewish to take part. We want to get people curious about the rich scope of this truly diverse cuisine. It’s not all bagels, pastrami and babka. There’s Iraqi sabich, Persian gondi and Yemenite kubaneh. Soul foods that you will want to know, and to taste.”
“The Jewish Worker is a member-supported news and opinion publication tackling current events from a decidedly left-wing Jewish perspective.”
“ReformJudaism.org seeks to provide content that describes and demonstrates the traditions and innovations of Reform Jewish life. We welcome visitors to our site and to Reform Judaism. Whether you are Reform, from a different stream of Judaism, “just Jewish,” interested in conversion, or merely curious, we hope you’ll find resources here that answer your questions and reflect the engaging, inclusive, and welcoming aspects of Reform Judaism”
“Tablet is a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture. Launched in June 2009, it’s a project of the not-for-profit Nextbook Inc., which also produces the Jewish Encounters book series, edited by Jonathan Rosen. Our archive holds all the articles and features that originally appeared on the website Nextbook.org.”
Other
The Kitchen Stories – The Jewish Museum & Archives of BC
“In The Kitchen Stories podcast series, we hear what it was like to be a Jewish family living in far-flung places including Eritrea, Chile, and India. We hear about the pressures to fit in or stand out, and how food was often a means of doing both. We hear about the difficulty of maintaining family culinary traditions after migrating to a new country.”
The Jewish Americans: A Series by David Grubin, PBS
Jewish Holidays Explained – BimBam, Youtube
“Animated stories and music videos that will help you understand the basics of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Chanukah, Tu B’shvat, Purim, Shavuot, and Passover.”
ReformJudaism.org Podcast List
Featured Image Photo Credit: https://www.jewishheritagemonth.gov/
