By Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh
Jewish American Heritage Month offers an opportunity to reflect on almost four centuries of Jewish life in what we now call the United States of America. It’s also a time to share gratitude for the amazing as well as enduring contributions that Jewish Americans from all racial, ethnic and class backgrounds have made to American society. According to the Library of Congress, the origins of Jewish American History Month date back to 1980, when then President Jimmy Carter issued Proclamation No. 4752 for Jewish Heritage Week. In 2004, Congress passed resolutions recognizing more than 350 years of Jewish contributions, leading then President George W. Bush to designate the month of May Jewish American Heritage Month.
Judaism is among the world’s oldest living traditions. It has existed, persisted, and evolved for more almost four millennia. Jewish identity in the United States reflects a remarkable multiplicity shaped by life in diaspora, by survival through persecution and genocide, and by deep commitments to learning, questioning, and interpretation. Jewish Americans have adapted across cultures while holding fast to tradition. No single narrative can capture what it means to be Jewish in America. According to a 2020 Pew Research Study, almost 66% of American Jews trace their ancestry to Eastern and Central Europe with other American Jews tracing their historic ancestry to the Middle East, North Africa, Southwest Europe, Latin America, Central Asia, and the Horn of Africa. Together, these varied histories form a rich and intertwined history.
For me, recognizing Jewish American History Month is also a call to learning within our shared UO community. Recently, I had the opportunity to take part in Brandeis University’s Pacific Northwest Leadership Institute on Antisemitism. Together with UO’s Vice Presidents for Student Life and Communication, respectively, we joined peers from across the region. Together, we worked to build a stronger foundation of understanding about contemporary antisemitism and its historical roots. We focused on thoughtful inquiry, and how we can cultivate communities of practice centered around fighting antisemitism. We focused on the importance of promoting sustainable policies as well as programs, while building a culture of increased Love, Authenticity, Courage and Empathy (LACE) that inherently rejects antisemitism.
At the University of Oregon, this work is also reflected in our ongoing partnership with Project Shema and the embryonic work that we are doing with Roots/Shorashim/Judur, the only joint Israeli - Palestinian community center in the West Bank, bringing together local settlers and Palestinians working towards reconciliation. Over the past year, Project Shema’s workshops have helped our faculty, staff and some students better understand contemporary antisemitism and implicit bias. These sessions have offered tools for more productive conversations, including those focused on Jewish–Muslim-Christian relations. We immediately built on the interfaith work through a recent engagement in April that invited faculty staff and students from diverse faith backgrounds to engage over a meal. Another good learning tool is Harvard University’s Project Implicit, which helps illuminate how bias against Jews functions—and how it can be unlearned.
As I continue my own learning journey about Judaism, I am inspired by how Judaism embraces the idea that time, rituals and holidays, are not just chronological but sacred reminders of who we are and what is demanded of us. Judaism teaches us that our purpose is not discovered in isolation alone, but also in community with others. As a community of students, staff and faculty, those questions and commitments are important for all of us to consider and act upon.