May is Jewish American Heritage Month, an annual celebration of Jewish American achievements and contributions to American culture. Our own namesake, Tom Lantos, was a proud Jewish American – the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the U.S. Congress and a powerful voice for human rights at home and abroad. Follow along this month as we highlight Jewish Americans from each century of the nation’s history, who have advocated for human rights and justice. Read more about Tom’s story:
DYK One of the key financiers of the American Revolution was a Jewish American banker named Haym Salomon? A Polish immigrant to the American colonies, Salomon’s financial skill and his generous personal lending played a critical role in funding America’s war for independence. An early leader for religious tolerance, he successfully advocated to abolish Pennsylvania laws that prohibited non-Christians from holding public office. Sadly, most of Salomon’s considerable loans were never repaid, and he died nearly penniless. But his patriotic contribution has been memorialized through statues, stamps, plaques and more. During Jewish American Heritage Month, we honor Salomon’s devotion to the cause of liberty and justice.
Ernestine Potowski Rose, sometimes called “the first Jewish feminist”, was born in Russian Poland and immigrated to the United States in the late 1830s. In her new country, she became a reformer, suffragist and outspoken advocate for women’s rights – as well as an ardent abolitionist. She co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association alongside Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. While she did not live to see the Nineteenth Amendment passed, her voice was indispensable to the fight to secure the right to vote for American women. We recognize and salute her commitment to human rights during Jewish American Heritage Month.
A Jewish theologian “who became a personal and intellectual force of major proportions” – this is how The New York Times described Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel in his obituary. After immigrating to the United States in 1940, he articulated a Jewish theology that drew a direct link to the most pressing moral and human rights issues of the day. He marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Alabama. He held his adopted homeland to account for war crimes committed in Vietnam. He helped convince the Vatican Council II to pass a resolution at long last absolving the Jewish people of guilt in the Crucifixion. This longstanding slander had been a rationale for anti-Semitism for centuries. As we mark Jewish American Heritage Month, we remember Rabbi Heschel’s distinctive contribution as both a philosopher and activist. #JAHM
As Jewish American Heritage Month draws to a close, we want to highlight Aly Raisman – a two-time Olympic gymnast and six-time medalist. She captured the world’s attention as captain of back-to-back gold-winning teams, but she showed her true courage when she, alongside other survivors, came forward to publicly confront Larry Nasser about his rampant abuse. Her bravery in stepping into the spotlight struck a blow against sexual abuse, within USA Gymnastics and beyond, and she has become a powerful voice encouraging women and survivors of abuse to stand up and be heard.
