By Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh

In 2006, May became federally recognized as Jewish American Heritage Month. In the years since, Americans of all walks of life have been exploring and celebrating the beauty of the Jewish experience, both past and present. It is also an important reminder to educate ourselves and others on modern antisemitism locally, regionally and nationally. 

This month in particular, I want to recognize our ongoing work with Project Shema whose ongoing workshops over the past year have helped our UO community better understand and address contemporary antisemitism and bias. Project Shema facilitators have helped our faculty and staff attain a more nuanced understanding of how implicit bias works — and how to reconcile it. These workshops have also provided participants with the requisite tools for having more productive conversations about Jewish/Muslim relations. We encourage everyone to assess their own biases by learning more about antisemitism from the Anti-Defamation League and visiting Harvard University’s Project Implicit. This virtual laboratory was designed to gather data and inform the public about how bias, and disparities work and hopefully mitigate harmful stereotypes.  
  
Here at the University of Oregon, we recognize and celebrate the achievements of Jewish Americans, and the positive impact they continue to have on our nation. In doing so, we laud the activism of UO PDACC member and MacArthur Fellow Susan E. Sygall, who co-founded the disability rights organization Mobility International USA in Eugene in 1981. We also acknowledge the good work and scholarship of our UO Judaic Studies department whose Experiential Learning programs afford students opportunities to extend their learning beyond our campus classrooms.  
  
Additionally, we celebrate Oregon Hillel, the only pluralistic Jewish community on our campus and OSU. With a wide range of initiatives and programming, the group is committed to providing a caring environment for all students. We also recognize Chabad House for offering a place of belonging for our Jewish students, and lift up the efforts of the Jewish Alumni Network, and community-based organizations like Ahavas Torah Jewish Federation of Lane County, and the Jewish Community Relations Council to name a few. These organizations serve as strong communities of support for Jewish Americans throughout our region. We understand that in order for all of us to flourish, each student, and every faculty, staff, and community member must feel included. May the words of Jewish American poet Emma Lazarus inspire us to reflect on what it means to “belong.” And may the words of the late Anne Frank be our North Star as we work to co-create a campus culture that reflects our values: “I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.”   This month in particular, I want to recognize our ongoing work with Project Shema whose ongoing workshops over the past year have helped our UO community better understand and address contemporary antisemitism and bias. Project Shema facilitators have helped our faculty and staff attain a more nuanced understanding of how implicit bias works — and how to reconcile it. These workshops have also provided participants with the requisite tools for having more productive conversations about Jewish/Muslim relations. We encourage everyone to assess their own biases by learning more about antisemitism from the Anti-Defamation League and visiting Harvard University’s Project Implicit. This virtual laboratory was designed to gather data and inform the public about how bias, and disparities work and hopefully mitigate harmful stereotypes.  
  
Here at the University of Oregon, we recognize and celebrate the achievements of Jewish Americans, and the positive impact they continue to have on our nation. In doing so, we laud the activism of UO PDACC member and MacArthur Fellow Susan E. Sygall, who co-founded the disability rights organization Mobility International USA in Eugene in 1981. We also acknowledge the good work and scholarship of our UO Judaic Studies department whose Experiential Learning programs afford students opportunities to extend their learning beyond our campus classrooms.  
  
Additionally, we celebrate Oregon Hillel, the only pluralistic Jewish community on our campus and OSU. With a wide range of initiatives and programming, the group is committed to providing a caring environment for all students. We also recognize Chabad House for offering a place of belonging for our Jewish students, and lift up the efforts of the Jewish Alumni Network, and community-based organizations like Ahavas Torah Jewish Federation of Lane County, and the Jewish Community Relations Council to name a few. These organizations serve as strong communities of support for Jewish Americans throughout our region. We understand that in order for all of us to flourish, each student, and every faculty, staff, and community member must feel included. May the words of Jewish American poet Emma Lazarus inspire us to reflect on what it means to “belong.” And may the words of the late Anne Frank be our North Star as we work to co-create a campus culture that reflects our values: “I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.”