JEWISH-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH!!!

Featured in the Performer Newspaper.

Hey y’all! A little-known commemorative month came around: Jewish-American History Month! To all my fellow Jewish peeps in the school, I hope you all have a wonderful time of recognition for our people!

For anyone who’s not in the loop(1), Jewish American History month celebrates the achievements and history of Jewish Americans. We have a long history in the United States that runs deep in its roots. Pretty much from its inception, we’ve been along for the ride. Here’s a little spotlight of different Jewish-Americans and how they’ve contributed to our accumulative culture!

IN SOCIAL JUSTICE:

One of the personal heroes from the American Revolution, Moses Michael Hayes, was a Sephardic(2) Jewish Merchant! During the Revolution, he was called to testify on the faith of a “good Christian” that he was in fact not betraying the revolution. Being suspicious of the accusation, Moses requested the witnesses to testify, but there were no witnesses, and the accusers had no evidence of Moses’s treachery. The idea, most likely, was that he was a merchant(3) and did indirect trading with English merchants. Upon that knowledge, he requested that the line “under the faith of a good Christian” be removed. Against all odds, he prevailed, having not only the line removed before his signing, but the rest of the community joining him in a display of solidarity. It was an early display of unity in a war that would define the American Nation. 

We can’t talk about social justice without the OG Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The wonderful, late Justice Ginsburg wasn’t the first woman on the Supreme Court, but she sure as heck redefined it. Being a champion of women’s rights, she put the rights of women and the equality of genders first and foremost in her opinions. Her most famous line from her long, long career is the classic phrase “I dissent!” In over 29 Supreme Court dissents, she put her voice into the American legal consciousness. Up until her final years, when she wasn’t sleeping during Trump’s first State of the Union, she was at the gym as active as ever.

There is activism, and then there is Emma Goldman activism. Born in Lithuania, she was a radical feminist, anarchist, and activist for the working class. Her writings encouraged some of the most well-known strikes from the time period. She was arrested over six times and deported twice to Russia. Despite facing anti-semitic backlash for her anticapitalism ideas, she became one of the most well-known good trouble-makers of her time.

Honorable Mentions(4):

Henry Moskowitz: Co-founder of the NAACP.

Emma Lazarus: Writer of the poem on the Statue of Liberty.

Rabbi Abraham Herschel: Marched in Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

IN THE ARTS:

Amazing vocalist and actor Idina Menzel has been in pretty much every dramatic form she can get into, with notable roles being Maureen in the original cast of Rent, Elphaba in the original cast of Wicked, Nancy Tremaine in Enchanted, the mother in You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah(5), Elsa in Frozen, and the leading star of Redwood the musical. The latter musical is one I have seen in person, and I can testify that it’s a very, very Queerly Jewish musical with the theme of Tikkun Olam(6) being first and foremost in the production. Highly, highly recommend it. 

A giant of the American stage was the composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. He defined Broadway through his musicals. Some of his most notable musicals include West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Company, and Follies! (Editor’s note: he also did Sondheim on Sondheim, which the school produced in the past!) He also went on to inspire a future generation of songwriters and librettists(7) to contribute their voice to the American stage.

For the literary arts, one representative of Jewish authorship is Lemony Snicket. Known for his book series A Series of Unfortunate Events, he gripped readers with tragic, compelling, and surprisingly humorous stories of the Baudelaire Twins and their escapes from the villainous Count Olaf. In addition to the books he wrote for the series, he wrote the successful television series of the same name for Netflix. I guess if you know what story you like telling, you keep on going along with it.

Honorable Mentions (8):

Pink: Singer who is famous for many, many songs and breakup ballads from the 2010s. (9)

Jonathan Larson: Librettist who won Tony awards posthumously for his hit musical, “Rent.”

Scarlett Johanssen: Actress famous for playing the role of Black Widow in Marvel movies.

Lenny Kravitz: Singer who starred in the Hunger Games and wrote hit ’90s songs. (10)

Billy Joel: Singer and songwriter who gained fame for songs written in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. (11)

Sammy Davis Jr: Notable singer who broke boundaries being African-American, Queer, and Disabled while simultaneously gaining a platform performing alongside the likes of Frank Sinatra.

Finally, for the one that everyone should be familiar with…

IN THE SCIENCES:
Albert Einstein.

Yep. He has been counting since he sought refuge in the United States and became a naturalized citizen. He was a famous mathematician and scientist originally from Germany. He came up with the Theory of General Relativity and the equation E=mc². After going on tour to the U.S in the late 1930s he decided not to return to Germany due to the Nazi Regime gaining power, and it ultimately saved the lives of him and the family members who accompanied him. Later in life, he became a professor at Princeton University. The OG in many regards, along with the effect of giving us the photo of him sticking his tongue at the paparazzi. 

May this month be a great reminder of the contributions to America by the Jewish community!