May 2020 Online Exhibit
Jewish American Heritage Month
On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month. The announcement served as the crowning achievement in a concerted effort by American Jewish leaders to introduce resolutions for the US Senate and the House urging the President to proclaim a month specifically recognizing the more than 360-year history of Jews in America and their contributions to the United States. JAHM acknowledges the achievements of American Jews in fields ranging from sports, arts, entertainment as well as medicine, business, science, government, military service, music, and more.
Rabbi Isaac Aboab da Fonseca (1605-1693), first rabbi of the Americas
In 1642, Aboab da Fonseca was appointed rabbi at Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue in Recife, in the then Dutch colony of Pernambuco, Brazil, a city which was occupied by the Dutch in 1624 (see Jews in Pernambuco). Most of the European inhabitants of the town after the Dutch occupation were Sephardic Jews, originally from Portugal, but who had first emigrated to Amsterdam due to persecution by the Portuguese Inquisition.
The Congregation Shearith Israel – also called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue – is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. It was established in 1654 in New Amsterdam by Jews who arrived from Dutch Brazil.
The Orthodox synagogue, which follows the Sephardic liturgy, is located on Central Park West at 70th Street, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The congregation has occupied its current Neoclassical building since 1897.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & LINKS
MOVIES
The 21 Best Jewish Movies of the Decade (cjnews)
7 Holocaust Films You Should See (myjewishlearning)
BOOKS
The Best Jewish Authors (goodreads)
20 Essential Jewish-American Novels (Book Riot)
9 Novels By Contemporary Jewish Writers (Off the Shelf)
19 Books to Read by Jewish Authors (earlybirdbooks)
The Best Jewish Authors (Ranker)
HISTORY
National Museum of American Jewish History (nmajh)
Modern Jewish History (Jewish Virtual Library)
Ancient Jewish History (Jewish Virtual Library)
The Jewish History Resource Center (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Timeline of Jewish History (wikipedia)
SCIENTISTS
MUSIC
Greatest Jewish Singers and Songwriters (Ranker)
Jewish Musicians by Country (wikiwand)
Jewish Musicians who Changed Rock Music (aish)
FOOD
Jewish Recipes (myjewishlearning)
Salt Lake Community College
Taylorsville Redwood Campus
4600 South Redwood Road
Salt Lake City, UT 84123
Markosian Library
801-957-4602