8 Ways to Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month

By Connecticut Children’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Team

May is Jewish American Heritage Month! The month is celebrated across the country to recognize the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to American History.

At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise, Jewish American Heritage Month provides a great opportunity to teach children about history of Jewish Americans, learn about their traditions, and reflect on the important role they play in our nation today.

Here are ideas.

1. Visit Jewish heritage museums—virtually or in person.

Take a look at the National Park Service’s Jewish American Heritage website to learn about historic properties owned by Jewish Americans. The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History offers online exhibits and ideas to celebrate the month in your community.

If you’re up for a road trip, New York City is home to the Tenement Museum. Bonus: they offer virtual field trips for school-aged kids, too. In Brooklyn, you can find the Jewish Children’s Museum where kids can explore Jewish life and take a voyage through Jewish history.

2. Get up close and personal by exploring Connecticut’s Jewish history and culture.

Check out events offered by the Jewish Historical Societies of Greater Hartford and Fairfield County.

Take a trip to the University of Hartford’s Museum of Jewish Civilization and check out their latest exhibits. You can also listen to the stories of Holocaust survivors that settled in the area, right on their website.

3. Read books about Jewish heroes, or written or illustrated by Jewish authors.

Take a trip to your local library, where your librarian will likely have great recommendations. You can also check out these online booklists:

The Maltz Museum offers a list of recommendations for adults and children.
The School Library Journal developed at list of books titled 29 Books That Celebrate All Aspects of Jewish Life.
Social Justice Books published a list of books titled Jewish Identity and History.
The Los Angeles Public Library put together this list of children’s picture books.

A Jewish family is having fun coloring with their kids

4. Enjoy Jewish music.

Use your favorite music streaming service, like Pandora or Spotify (here’s a great playlist), to search for kids’ songs and playlists by Jewish artists.

Or, enjoy a fun afternoon with your children by exploring Jewish sing-along songs.

5. Make kid-friendly arts and crafts inspired by Jewish traditions.

Search online for creative ideas that will keep your children excited about learning about Jewish traditions. Chabad.org offers ideas for how to make decorative paper chains, dreidels, salt art, and much more.

6. Get your child involved in the kitchen and cook something Jewish.

Try making Challah or engage in a family challenge to make a Shabbat meal. Roll up your sleeves and have some fun! Together, work on researching, planning, and preparing a Jewish dish. PJ Library offers great inspiration – including blintzes, challah and falafel.

Check out this highly entertaining video, “Chicken Soup for Shabbat” which allows kids to yell out their five favorite ingredients.

If you’re a challah lover, here are 14 recipes.

7. Learn about the Jewish high holidays and why they’re important.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are celebrated by Jewish people all around the world—but why, and how? The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has a great article that explains the high holidays.

8. Follow Jewish influencers on social media.

Another great suggestion from the University of Hartford! They recommend this list of TikTok and Instagram content creators. Check them out first before sharing their handles with your child.

TikTok:

Instagram:

You might also like: