Dr. Ervin Staub said, “Goodness, like evil, often begins in small steps. Heroes evolve; they aren’t born” (Choosing to Participate, Facing History and Ourselves, p. 30). What does it take to make someone a hero? What propels each one of us to become an “upstander” (Facing History and Ourselves), to take the steps from sympathy […]
As the war in Europe was drawing to a close, stories of rescue and bravery under the most difficult of conditions began to surface and make their way to the US. The JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) was at the forefront of bringing news to the American Jewish community. On October 5, 1944 the JTA published […]
When Juliette Stern, Henrietta Szold and their friends visited Palestine in the 1920s and 1930s, it was a rugged land with new settlements and cities in development. The film “Banim Bonim: Land of Promise,” from the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive, documents young halutzim celebrating holidays, settling kibbutzim like Kibbutz Degania, and many other wonderful scenes from […]
May is Jewish American Heritage Month Jewish American Heritage Week was proclaimed in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter. In 2006 under President George W. Bush the celebration grew to a full month. See links to the history of Jewish American Heritage Month in our Featured Document section, as well as educational resources and teaching ideas. Watch a video of […]
This clip from 2012 shows President Obama delivering an address at the White House on May 30, 2012 to mark Jewish American Heritage Month.