This May, the UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach is proud to host the inaugural celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) at UCSF.
As a minority group, Jews represent approximately 2% of the adult population in the United States and 0.2% of the population worldwide. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, but not all Jews identify as religious. The Jewish people share common culture and heritage. In the US, Jews have contributed to the advancement of a wide variety of fields including medicine, human rights, science, and art.
Celebration of JAHM at UCSF aligns with our missions for inclusion and belonging. In our celebration of JAHM at UCSF, we strive to create an inclusive environment and invite both Jews and non-Jews to learn more about the contributions of Jewish Americans to science and medicine, and to learn about cultural and historical events that contribute to the experience of Jewish Americans.
Learn more about the unique history of Mt. Zion hospital at UCSF, originally established as a non-profit hospital by the San Francisco Jewish community in 1887. Today, it continues its mission of service as the UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion.
Test Your Knowledge
Q: What is the current year in the Hebrew calendar, and when is the Jewish New Year?
A: The current year is 5784. The Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) occurs in the fall and will be October 2-4 this year. Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah do not occur on the same dates in the Gregorian calendar each year, but they do occur on the same dates in the Hebrew calendar each year. Jewish holidays begin at sundown and continue through the following day.
Q: What number is associated with life and luck in Judaism?
A: The number 18 is associated with life and luck. In Hebrew, the word for life is "chai" (pronounced like high but with "kh" at the beginning). Each letter in the Hebrew alphabet has an equivalent numerical value. The Hebrew letters "chet" and "yud" that make up the word "chai" which add up to thenumber 18.
Q: When was JAHM established?
A: JAHM was established by a bipartisan effort in 2006.
Q: What is Yom Hoshoah, and when is it?
A: Yom HaShoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day, observed this year from the evening of Sunday May 5 through Monday, May 6. Although the date varies year to year in the Gregorian calendar, this date is always 27 Nisan in the Hebrew calendar. Yom Hoshoah honors the 6 million Jews that were killed during the Holocaust, decimating two thirds of all European Jews and a third of the world's Jewish population. Read more here.
JAHM Events
UCSF Events
Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day
Monday, May 6 | 5:00pm | Mission Bay
Pleas Join us on Yom HaShoah, the holocaust remembrance day, to hear the remarkable story of Susanne Dewitt, a survivor of the holocaust. Susanne Dewitt, chairman of the Israel Action Committee of the East Bay will come to share with us her family history and her opinion on the raising antisemitism in the Bay Area.
We also invite you to take a virtual self-tour of the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles, also on May 6.
Rosh Chodesh
Thursday, May 9 | Virtual, on Zoom
More information coming soon.
Shabbat Dinner
Friday, May 10 at 6:00 pm | In-Person at Mission Bay Campus
UCSF Invites you to Shabbat Dinner for Jewish Akerican Heritage Month.
Non-UCSF Evcents
Yom Hashoah Commemoration
Sunday, May 5 | 1:00 -7:00pm | Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
Come together to learn, honor and remember at San Francisco's community-wide commemoration and day of learning presented by the JFCS Holocaust Center and JCCSF. The event is free of cost.
Community Cube: Creating Chinese-Hebrew Calligraphy
Friday, May 10 to Sunday, June 26 | Open Hours | Contemporary Jewish Museum
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month and Jewish Heritage Month at a relaxing drop-in art project designed by the artist Carol Man. Held in The CJM's Blue Cube, this self-paced activity will teach you to create Chinese Hebrew calligraphy, infusing Hebrew letters with the fluidity and rhythm of Chinese brushstrokes.
Screening: What Does Asian Jewish Identity Sound Like?
Thursday, May 16 to Sunday, June 16 | Open Hours | Contemporary Jewish Museum
A musical mosaic that explores the depth and nuance of Asian Jewish identity through the words of more than fifty Asian American Jews. Underscored with piano orchestration by Asian Jewish songwriter Jenni Rudolph, What Does Asian Jewish Identity Sound Like? invites you to journey through the full spectrum of the Asian Jewish experience—dissonant, vibrant, heavy, joyful, and everything in between.
Zoom Backgrounds
Celebrate JAHM and show your support for Jewish Americans by downloading a Zoom background developed at UCSF through collaboration between the ODO and members of the Jewish community at UCSF.
Background 1 (Click to download)
This background celebrates the diversity of the Jewish people. See if you can spot the following in the art:
- A talit, or a fringed prayer shawl. Two characters are wearing talits, though the image does not include the fringes. The fringes and the knots symbolize the 613 commandments in the Jewish tradition.
- A kippah, a skullcap or brimless hat, that some Jews wear daily, while others may choose to wear it only while praying, studying Jewish texts, or on Shabbat or other holidays. Others may not wear one at all. Another word for kippah is yarmulke. A kippah or yarmulke is traditionally a sign of modesty before God.
- A Star of David, or Magen David, a six pointed geometric star that symbolizes Judaism and Jewish identity. Hint: It's featured in the lower right hand corner.
- Head coverings worn by some women. This is a custom that some married Jewish women, observe. This too is a symbol of modesty as well as connection to the Jewish community and to God.
Background 2 (Click to download)
Explore the rich tapestry of Jewish culture and religion through the symbols and traditions showcased in this background, which have been passed down through generations over the course of over 3,000 years of Jewish existence. Delve deeper into the featured symbols and traditions to gain a deeper understanding of their significance.
- Honey is represented by the yellow dots and is served during the Jewish Near Year, Rosh Hashanah, to symbolize a sweet New Year. Rosh Hashanah occurs during the fall.
- Pomegranates are said to have 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 commandments of the Torah. Pomegranates also symbolize fertility. Learn 9 Jewish Things About Pomegranates.
- Shin is a Hebrew letter and can be seen throughout Judaism, including on dreidels. Dreidels are four-sided spinning tops, spun by children during the Jewish holiday Hanukkah.
- A mezuzzah is placed on the doorpost of many Jewish homes in the US and worldwide. A mezuzah signifies a commitment to creating a Jewish household. The angle of the design represents a mezuzzah.
Book Recommendations
The UCSF Library has made the following titles available:
- Jewish Literacy, 2010, Joseph Telushkin
- Living a Jewish Life, 2009, Anita Diamant
- When Bad things Happen to Good People, 2007, Harold S. Kushner
- Tuesdays with Morrie, 2002, Mitch Albom
- Night, 2012, Elie Wiesel
- Man's Search for Meaning, 2006, Viktor E. Frankl
- Thinking, Fast and Slow, 2011, Daniel Kahneman
Additional suggested reads:
- A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People: From the Time of the Patriarchs to the Present by Eli Barnavi, 1994
- Living a Jewish Life, Revised and Updated: Jewish Traditions, Customs, and Values for Today's Families by Anita Diamant, 2023
- The Sabbath by Abraham by Joshua Heschel, 2005
- Survival In Auschwitz by Primo Levi, 1996
Educational Resources
Webinars and videos
- Beyond Left or Right: Whose Fault is Antisemitism? Unpacked
- My courtroom battle with a Holocaust denier, TEDxSkoll
- Jews in Medicine, Genesis Prize Foundation
Podcasts
- Can We Talk?
- Chutzpod!
- Holy Sparks Podcast
- Identity/Crisis, Shalom Hartman Institute
- Judaism Unbound
- Soulful Jewish Living: Mindful Practices for Every Day
- Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam
Films, movies and documentaries
- PBS’s The Jewish Americans explores the history, culture, and contributions of Jewish Americans to the United States.
- PBS’s The Story of the Jews chronicles the 3,000-year history of the Jewish people, from ancient times to the present day.
- The U.S. and the Holocaust explores the United States' response to the Holocaust, including rescue efforts and the experiences of American Jews.
- Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy highlights the significant influence of Jewish composers, lyricists, and performers on the development of Broadway musicals.
- Denial is based on the true story of Deborah Lipstadt's legal battle against Holocaust denier David Irving.
- On the Basis of Sex depicts the early career of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her fight for gender equality.
- An American Tail is an animated film following the journey of a young mouse named Fievel and his family as they immigrate to the United States to escape persecution in EuropeF.
- Schindler's List tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of over a thousand Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.
- Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations examines the resurgence of antisemitism around the world through four distinct case studies.
- Everything is Illuminated is a film adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's novel, following a young Jewish-American man's journey to Ukraine in search of the woman who saved his grandfather during the Holocaust.
Musicians
- Jack Antonoff
- Irving Berlin
- Leonard Bernstein
- Leonard Cohen
- Neil Diamond
- Bob Dylan
- George Gershwin
- Billy Joel
- Carole King
- Lenny Kravitz
- Adam Levine
- Felix Mendelssohn
- Bette Midler
- Alecia Beth Moore (aka Pink)
- Itzhak Perlman
- Mark Ronson
- Lou Reed
- Gene Simmons
- Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel
- Regina Spektor
- Barbra Streisand
- Adam Yauch, Michael Diamond, and Adam Horovitz (aka the Beastie Boys)
Articles
- The Jews in America, Jennie Rothenberg Gritz
- Why the most educated people in America fall for anti-semitic lies, Dara Horn
- Dispelling the Myth About Jews and Poverty, Jeremy J. Fingerman
- Why american historians really ignore american jewish history, Hasia Diner
- Contributions of Jewish Surgeons in the United States Seymour I. Schwartz
- The American Jewish Experience in the Twentieth Century: Antisemitism and Assimilation, Jonathan D. Sarna and Jonathan Golden
- Moses Maimonides: Medieval Physician and Scholar, Simor SR
Additional references
- Jewish American Heritage Month
- About Jewish American Heritage Month
- American Jewish Commitee
- Jewish American Heritage Month Resources
- National Archives: JAHM
- Jewish Women's Archive
- Who are the Jews?
- Exploring Jewish American Identity
- A Short Guide to Jewish Religion and Culture
- Amazing Jewish Americans
- What is JAHM?
- 5 Ways to Celebrate JAHM
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Organizers, hosts, and sponsors
JAHM 2024 events are organized, hosted, and sponsored by:
- Shalom at UCSF
- UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach
- UCSF Library
- SF Hillel
- UCSF Jewish Coalition