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As You Teach, You Learn (Jewish Proverb) Contributions of Jewish Americans

Introduction | Background Knowledge | Activities | Extensions | Standards

kids with menorah

Introduction

Jewish Americans have had a profound influence on every aspect of the United States, including food, art, music, sports, politics, business, education, and more. These contributions have helped to shape the country's identity from its inception. Each year, in May, the United States recognizes Jewish American Heritage Month. It is a time to honor the achievements and experiences of Jewish Americans.

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Background Knowledge

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The first Jewish person is believed to have set foot in what is now Texas in 1584. For the next century, the majority of Jewish immigrants arrived in the colonies of Virginia and North Carolina. Most came for economic reasons. One, Elias Legarde, came from France in 1621 to teach the colonists how to cultivate grapes for wine production. Beginning in the 1600s, Jewish immigrants arrived in New England, with the first group settling in what is now New York. Religious freedom and tolerance spread down the East Coast. When the charter of South Carolina was drafted, Jews were specifically mentioned and were granted liberty of conscience. Hundreds of Jewish immigrants chose to settle in South Carolina.

During the 19th century, Jewish communities in America began to organize. Under the guiding principle of helping one another, communities created orphanages and, in 1843, established the first secular Jewish organization. The National Council of Jewish Women was founded in 1893.

When the Civil War broke out, there were about 150,000 Jews in the United States. Even though they fought on both sides and Jewish bankers financed both sides, Jewish Americans began to face discrimination. Ulysses S. Grant issued an order expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky in response to cotton smuggling. The farmers appealed to President Abraham Lincoln, who ordered Grant to rescind the order.

During the 19th century, Jewish people began to move westward. Many went to California in search of gold and stayed, with major settlements in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. Many Jews in the West became successful businesspeople. In the West, there was little discrimination against them.

As the United States entered World War I, many Jews in America were opposed to the war. However, 5% of the forces that fought in the war were Jewish, an overrepresentation of the 3% of Jewish Americans. The Jewish community left at home raised $63 million in war relief funds.

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Jewish Americans began to make an impact on national politics. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Jewish people to 15% of positions, including Cabinet and Supreme Court. Unfortunately, as FDR was trying to bring people together, antisemitism was increasing. The United States welcomed fewer than 30,000 Jews from Europe during the Holocaust.

Since World War II, the Jewish population has grown. As of the 2020 census, 7.5 million people in America identify as Jewish. Many Jewish families are financially successful, although 20% of Jewish families are living at or below the poverty line. Many families are leaving the cities that have been community centers for the suburbs.

Despite a rise in antisemitism after the COVID pandemic, Jewish Americans have been well represented in the American government. As of 2025, 6% of the members of the 119th Congress are Jewish, as is one justice on the Supreme Court. Jewish governors lead six states. Many cities have Jewish mayors at the lead.

The contributions of these great Americans are recognized in May of each year during Jewish Heritage Month. Jewish people celebrated 350 years of American Jewish history in 2004. President George W. Bush officially designated May as the annual recognition of Jewish Americans' contributions to culture, film, science, government, and more.

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Activities

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  • Selective List of Picture Books
    • Rose Spoke Out: The Story of Rose Schneiderman by Emma Carlson Berne (ISBN 978-1681156170) - After the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911, Rose Schneiderman inspired factory workers in New York, leading to the creation of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.
    • I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy (ISBN 978-1481465595) - Learn about the life and contributions of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
    • Amazing Abe: How Abraham Cahan's Newspaper Gave a Voice to Jewish Immigrants by Norman H. Finkelstein (ISBN 978-0823451647) - This is a biography of Abraham Cahan, who founded and edited Fovents. This Yiddish newspaper explained life in America to newly arrived Jewish immigrants.
    • The Hedgehog Who Said, Who Cares? by Neri Aluma (ISBN 979-8986396576) - Rabbit and Mouse are upset when Hedgehog builds his house in the middle of the road. Hedgehog learns a valuable lesson about being part of a community.
    • One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story by Ruth Spiro (ISBN 978-0399186318) - This book follows a young girl as she takes a problem and finds a solution to repair the world, exploring the Jewish concept of tikkun olam.
    • Jeremy's Dreidel by Ellie B. Gellman (ISBN 978-0761375074) - Jeremy makes a special dreidel for his blind father.
  • Selective List of Chapter Books and Graphic Novels
    • Linked by Gordon Korman (ISBN 978-1338629132) - Link, Michael, and Dana end up in the middle of controversy when a swastika appears on the middle school wall.
    • The Do More Club by Dana Kramaroff (ISBN 978-0593532898) - Josh Kline is the only Jewish kid at his new school. When his school sets up counseling services after swastikas appear on the walls, Josh learns that every kid in his grade is dealing with their challenges. Josh and his new friends set out to make a difference and spread kindness at their school.
    • Refugee by Alan Gratz (ISBN 978-0545880831) - Three young people journey to find refuge from the dangerous worlds they live in. Josef and his family are fleeing from Hitler in Germany, Isabel is trying to escape Castro and communist Cuba, and Mahmoud is leaving a civil war in Syria. Each story appears to be independent, but they ultimately tie together.
    • Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar (ISBN 978-0399546440) - Ruthie and her family arrive in New York after escaping Castro's Cuba. Everything is looking up until Ruthie gets hit by a car, and she has to relearn how to live.
    • How to Find What You Are Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani (ISBN 978-0525555032) - Ariel's life changes when her sister elopes and marries an Indian man after the Loving v. Virginia decision makes her marriage illegal. On top of losing her sister, her family's bakery is in trouble. In a world of change, Ariel learns to lean on herself.
  • Explore resources for Jewish American Heritage Month
  • Immigration Stories
    • Examine the journey of Jewish families who immigrated to America, exploring broader themes of immigration and the American Dream. Students can create timeline projects showing how Jewish Americans have contributed to their communities over generations. For a technology option, use ReadWriteThink (reviewed here) to make the timeline.
    • Use AI tools to create immigration story timelines. My Lens (reviewed here) creates timelines using a simple prompt. Enter the name of a well-known Jewish-American, such as Gloria Steinem or Ruth Bader Ginsburg, then ask for a timeline of their family heritage.
    • Use AI coding features available in Canva for Education (reviewed here) to create and share an interactive timeline activity that tells the story of Jewish American immigration and its connection to the American Dream. Begin with a prompt that includes the grade-level requirement for your activity, then ask Canva to create an interactive activity to help students learn about the immigration stories of Jewish American families and how these relate to the goal of achieving the American dream.
    • Share powerful immigration stories found on Teaching with Testimony (TeachersFirst review), told by survivors and witnesses of genocide. Use the provided filters under the 'Testimonies' topic to select videos related to immigration and emigration.
  • Notable Jewish Americans Study
    • Research inspiring Jewish Americans who made significant contributions to science, the arts, sports, and civil rights. Students can create presentation boards on figures such as Albert Einstein, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or Sandy Koufax, focusing on their achievements and their impact on American society. For a technology option, students can use Padlet (TeachersFirst review) to add information about each famous Jewish American.
    • Ask elementary-aged students to share stories of Jewish Americans using Animate Characters (TeachersFirst review). Animate Characters makes it easy for students to personalize and record an animated video by choosing a character, adding a background, and creating a recording.
    • Older students can use Mootion (TeachersFirst review) to create professional-looking animated stories by uploading audio or writing a prompt. Use customization features to add animation, edit the storyboard, and include scenes of their choosing.
    • Create podcasts that share the stories of inspiring Jewish Americans. Use Buzzsprout (TeachersFirst review) or another free podcast creation tool to record and share student-created podcasts. Before writing the podcast scripts, ask students to share their favorite podcasts and explain what makes them enjoyable to listen to.
  • Take a Virtual Field Trip

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Extensions

Father reading to son
  • Living Wax Museum
    • After reading multiple biographies and teaching a few basic research skills, invite students to choose a famous person to learn more about. As a culminating activity, students can present a Living Wax Museum . If a physical living wax museum is impossible, consider using Blabberize (TeachersFirst review) to record their short presentations (about 30 seconds each).
    • After the Wax Museum, invite students to stay in character for a dinner party activity. Group students into teams and have them interact as their biography subjects.
    • Take advantage of these suggestions for 50 Mini-Lessons for Teaching Students Research Skills (TeachersFirst review) to guide students as they conduct their research and prepare biography presentations.
  • A World Without
    • Ask students to think about what the world would be like without the contributions of Jewish Americans. Have students write a story about what life would be like and how people would adapt to it. For example, Jonas Salk invented the polio vaccine. What would a 21st-century world look like without that lifesaving preventive? What would people do?
      • Project Zero Thinking Routines (TeachersFirst review) are an excellent way to develop these critical-thinking skills. For example, use the "What Makes You Say That?" routine to encourage students to support their claims or "Connect-Extend-Challenge" to extend thinking beyond a simple guess or statement.

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Correlation to Standards

Father reading to daughter
  • AASL National School Library Standards
    • Inquire Shared Foundation, Think Domain - Learners display curiosity and initiative by:
      • 1. Formulating questions about a personal interest or a curricular topic.
      • 2. Recalling prior and background knowledge as context for new meaning.
    • Inquire Shared Foundation, Share Domain - Learners adapt, communicate, and exchange learning products with others in a cycle that includes:
      • 1. Interacting with content presented by others.
      • 2. Providing constructive feedback.
      • 3. Acting on feedback to improve.
      • 4. Sharing products with an authentic audience.
    • Include Shared Foundation, Share Domain - Learners exhibit empathy with and tolerance for diverse ideas by:
      • 1. Engaging in informed conversation and active debate.
      • 2. Contributing to discussions in which multiple viewpoints on a topic are expressed.
    • Include Shared Foundation, Grow Domain - Learners demonstrate empathy and equity in knowledge building within the global learning community by:
      • 1. Seeking interactions with a range of learners.
    • Engage Shared Foundation, Think Domain: Learners follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information by:
      • 1. Responsibly applying information, technology, and media to learning.
      • 2. Understanding the ethical use of information, technology, and media.
    • Engage Shared Foundation, Create Domain: Learners use valid information and reasoned conclusions to make ethical decisions in the creation of knowledge by:
      • 1. Ethically using and reproducing others' work.
      • 2. Acknowledging authorship and demonstrating respect for the intellectual property of others.
      • 3. Including elements in personal-knowledge products that allow others to credit content appropriately.
    • Engage Shared Foundation, Grow Domain: Learners engage with information to extend personal learning by:
      • 1. Personalizing their use of information and information technologies.
      • 2. Reflecting on the process of ethical generation of knowledge.
      • 3. Inspiring others to engage in safe, responsible, ethical, and legal information behaviors.
    • Collaborate Shared Foundation, Think Domain - Learners identify collaborative opportunities by:
      • 1. Demonstrating their desire to broaden and deepen understandings.
      • 2. Developing new understandings through engagement in a learning group.
      • 3. Deciding to solve problems informed by group interaction.
    • Collaborate Shared Foundation, Create Domain - Learners participate in personal, social, and intellectual networks by:
      • 1. Using a variety of communication tools and resources.
      • 2. Establishing connections with other learners to build on their own prior knowledge and create new knowledge.
    • Collaborate Shared Foundation, Grow Domain - Learners actively participate with others in learning situations by:
      • 2. Recognizing learning as a social responsibility.
    • Explore Shared Foundation, Think Domain - Learners develop and satisfy personal curiosity by:
      • 1. Reading widely and deeply in multiple formats and writing and creating for a variety of purposes.
    • Explore Shared Foundation, Create Domain - Learners construct new knowledge by:
      • 1. Problem solving through cycles of design, implementation, and reflection.
    • Explore Shared Foundation, Share Domain - Learners engage with the learning community by:
      • 3. Collaboratively identifying innovative solutions to a challenge or problem.
    • Explore Shared Foundation, Grow Domain - Learners develop through experience and reflection by:
      • 1. Iteratively responding to challenges.
      • 2. Recognizing capabilities and skills that can be developed, improved, and expanded.
      • 3. Open-mindedly accepting feedback for positive and constructive growth.
  • ISTE Standards for Students
    • Empowered Learner 1.1
      • 1.1.b. Students build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.
      • 1.1.c. Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
    • Digital Citizen 1.2
      • 1.2.c. Demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
    • Knowledge Constructor 1.3
      • 1.3.d. Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories, and pursuing answers and solutions.
    • Innovative Designer 1.4
      • 1.4.d. Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance, and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.
    • Global Collaborator 1.7
      • 1.7.c. Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.

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