When Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) joined Congress in 2004, her constituents in South Florida sent her with a task. Dedicate a month comparable to Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month that honors the Jewish community’s contributions to the U.S.
Resolutions passed in both the U.S. Senate and the House urging the President to proclaim a month specifically recognizing Jews in America and their many contributions to American culture, history, military, science, and government.
In 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month. And every year since, Presidents Obama, Trump, Biden, and Trump have recognized the occasion.
Here are five ways to learn about the Jewish people’s contributions to American progress and celebrate throughout the month.
1) Take in a museum
There are so many repositories of Jewish history throughout the U.S. You’re bound to find one close enough for a day trip. Here are just a few.
In New York, the Center for Jewish History and the Museum of Jewish Heritage welcomes visitors to learn about the broad tapestry of Jewish culture life going back centuries. A walking tour of the Lower East Side where most Jews lived at the turn of the 20th Century, including The Tenement Museum, also provides a window into the American Jewish experience.
Down south, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans and the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum in Atlanta explores the remarkable stories of the Southern Jewish adventure.
Meanwhile, during the month of May, the Jewish Museum of Milwaukee will feature the special exhibition “Choices of Consequence: Denmark and the Holocaust,” on view from February 14 through May 25, 2025. At the same time, the Skirball Cultural Center of Los Angeles will debut “Away in the Catskills: Summers, Sour Cream, and Dirty Dancing,” opening May 1, 2025. This vibrant exhibition explores the cultural legacy of the Catskills as a beloved summer retreat and its lasting impact on American Jewish life and popular culture..
Test your knowledge of the rich culture and heritage of the Jewish people!
2) Curl up with a good book
This year’s National Jewish Book Awards recognized a wide range of authors and subject matter. Shaul Kelner’s A Cold War Exodus: How American Activists Mobilized to Free Soviet Jews tells the story of how American Jews built one of the most successful human rights campaigns of the 20th century, reshaping American Jewish identity through activism and solidarity. AJC’s former CEO, David Harris, served as the national coordinator for Freedom Sunday in 1987, which drew over 250,000 participants, the largest Jewish gathering in American history. Please tune in to his recount of this incredible campaign here, on AJC's Advocacy Anywhere platform.
An engaging dialogue between a Black Christian man and an Israeli-American Jewish woman, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew written by Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby explores antisemitism, racism, Zionism, and what it means to be Jewish in contemporary America.
Christophe Lebold published an insightful biography of Leonard Cohen entitled Leonard Cohen: The Man Who Saw the Angels Fall, and which explores the spiritual, poetic, and cultural dimensions of Leonard Cohen’s life and work, tracing how his Jewish identity shaped his art and worldview. Finally, The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic: Rereading the Women of the Talmud by Gila Fine offers a bold and imaginative reinterpretation of Talmudic women, inviting contemporary American Jews to engage with ancient texts through a modern lens of gender, identity, and evolving communal values.
3) Watch a TV show or movie
Watch A Real Pain, directed by Jesse Eisenberg, which follows two Jewish American cousins who travel to Poland to reconnect with their late grandmother’s Holocaust legacy. What begins as a heritage tour becomes a poignant exploration of grief, generational trauma, and the often awkward ways we attempt to honor the past. Eisenberg weaves humor and heartache into a compelling story that speaks to the complexity of contemporary Jewish identity and memory.
If you are looking for a romantic comedy, turn to Netflix’s Nobody Wants This. Based on the life of writer Erin Foster, Kristen Bell plays Joanne, an agnostic podcaster, who falls in love with Noah, a Reform rabbi portrayed by Adam Brody. The show dives headfirst into the challenges of interfaith relationships, religious observance, and cultural misunderstandings—with some cringy moments (Oy Vey!) and plenty of laughs along the way.
For those drawn to historical epics, Amazon Prime’s House of David dramatizes the biblical life of King David, while Hulu’s We Were the Lucky Ones, based on Georgia Hunter’s novel, tells the gripping true story of a Jewish family’s separation and survival during World War II.
4) Become a next-level Jewish chef
Up your kitchen game and stock up on new recipes. Fresh off the press is Micah Siva’s Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine. This cookbook offers over 80 plant-based recipes that reinterpret traditional Jewish dishes for the contemporary kitchen. It emphasizes seasonal ingredients and provides a modern twist on classics, catering to those seeking vegetarian or vegan options within Jewish cuisine. You will learn how to make Tofu “Brisket” as well as Chickpea and Olive Shakshuka!
For those of you who cannot resist Mexican cuisine, check out Ilan Stavans and Margaret E. Boyle’s Sabor Judío: The Jewish Mexican Cookbook, a vibrant celebration of the fusion between Jewish culinary traditions and Mexican flavors, offering recipes that reflect the rich history of Jewish communities in Mexico. Blending Ashkenazi and Sephardic heritage with indigenous and regional Mexican ingredients, the cookbook showcases dishes that are both deeply rooted and creatively reimagined—perfect for anyone interested in the diverse expressions of Jewish food in the Americas.
Finally, keep an eye out for Melinda Strauss’ Eat Jewish, which is set to be released in September 2025. In Eat Jewish, Jewish social media influencer and Modern Orthodox Jew Melinda Strauss pairs over 100 traditional and modern kosher recipes with key stories and insights into Jewish tradition, history, and culture. Addressing commonly asked questions about Jewish tradition along the way, Melinda celebrates the idea that food has no boundaries and welcomes anyone to make Jewish food and experiment with kosher recipes.
5) Listen to American Jewish voices
There are so many amazing American Jewish voices available right from your phone!
For perspectives on current events and issues that affect American Jews, listen to AJC’s weekly interviews on People of the Pod or Shalom Hartman Institute’s podcasts For Heaven’s Sake with Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, and Identity/Crisis on topics related to political and social trends in Israel, Israel-Diaspora relations, and the big questions about Jewish identity today (AJC CEO Ted Deutch discussed “Persuasive Leadership in Divisive Times” with Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer earlier this year). Launched a few months ago, Aviva Klompas’ Boundless Insights is a compelling podcast that explores Jewish identity, American Jewry, Israel, and global affairs through in-depth conversations with thought leaders (including with AJC CEO Ted Deutch in episode 24), innovators, and change-makers. Dan Senor’s Call Me Back also provides fascinating political and geopolitical analysis from the world’s top experts.
Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam is a thoughtful and engaging podcast where hosts Mijal Bitton and Noam Weissman explore big questions facing American Jews today—from identity and belonging to politics, Israel, and Jewish continuity. Blending personal insight with intellectual depth, the show invites listeners to rethink what it means to be Jewish in a changing world. We highly encourage you to listen to Episode 11, which features AJC CEO, Ted Deutch, who shares his experiences from decades of advocacy.
Want to get off your phone? You can also hear some legendary Jewish voices by visiting AJC’s collection at the New York Public Library, the mother of all American Jewish oral histories. The 156,000 pages of transcripts, 6,000 hours of taped interviews, and 2,250 informants chronicle “the American Jewish experience in the 20th century.”
BONUS LEARNING: Test your knowledge of the rich culture and heritage of the Jewish people and their many contributions to our nation by taking our quiz!
