Jewish American Heritage Month at UCSF

Date:

May 31, 2024

Time:

All day, everyday!

Place:

Virtual & In-person

Jewish American Heritage Month at UCSF

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

Event flyer

Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day

Monday, May 6 | 5:00pm | Mission Bay

Join us on Yom HaShoah to hear the remarkable story of Susanne Dewitt, a survivor of the Holocaust from Germany and Chair of the Israel Action Committee of the East Bay.

We also invite you to take a virtual self-tour of the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles, also on May 6.

Rosh Codesh new moon

Rosh Chodesh

Thursday, May 9 | 12:00pm-1:00pm | Virtual, on Zoom

Rosh Chodesh (“the head of the month” in Hebrew) marks the start of a new month on the Jewish calendar. Celebrate JAHM 2024 by learning more about Rosh Chodesh and Judaism, integrating themes of the cycles of calendars and ways to carve out some calm reflection to focus on the weeks ahead.

Host: Jill Cozen-Harel | Agenda: Cultivating a community space for reflection about the month that has ended, the new month beginning, and themes that resonate with this time on the Jewish calendar. | Security: No | Cost: Free

Event flyer

Shabbat Dinner

Friday, May 10 at 6:00 pm | In-Person at Mission Bay Campus

Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest and celebration, which many consider the centerpiece of Jewish life and ritual for thousands of years. It starts on Friday before sunset and ends with nightfall on Saturday. Although many Jewish families celebrate in various ways, candle lighting, prayers, and eating challah, or braided bread, are traditionally included.

Come celebrate Shabbat at UCSF, all are welcome!

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Non-UCSF Evcents

A lit candle

Yom Hashoah Commemoration

Sunday, May 5 | 1:00 -7:00pm | Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCSF)

Come together to learn, honor and remember at San Francisco's community-wide commemoration and day of learning presented by the Jewish Family and Children's Services Holocaust Center and JCSF. The event is free of cost.

A woman at a table practicing calligraphy

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.

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Screen gra of movoe poster

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? is the journey through the full spectrum of the Asian Jewish experience—dissonant, vibrant, heavy, joyful, and everything in between.

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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 or "ש" is a Hebrew letter that is seen throughout Judaism and on dreidls. Dreidls are four-sided spinning tops, spun by children during the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. If the dreidl lands on the letter shin, the child must "put one in" and return a candy to the common pool of candy. The other sides of the dreidl include the letters nun (child gets no candy), gimel (take all candy), and hey (half of candy). The letters stand for "nes gadól hayáh sham" or "a great miracle happened there" to commemorate the miracle of Hanukkah at the Temple in Jerusalem. In Israel, the dreidl has the letter pe instead of shin, to stand for "nes gadól hayáh poh" or a great miracle happened here. Read more about the letter shin here.
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

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.