Why We Need Another Celebration Month

Tina Lernø, Librarian, Digital Content Team,
Collage of vintage photos from Tessa.org
Collage of vintage photos from Tessa.org, including the B'nai B'rith Synagogue, which was built in 1896 and stood on the corner of 9th and Hope streets

May is Jewish American Heritage Month. It was officially declared on April 20, 2006. The month of May was chosen due to the highly successful celebration of the 350th Anniversary of American Jewish History. 350 years. That's a lot of years!

With any marginalized group of people, will it ever feel like you are part of the larger "American" culture? This is the question I ask myself. I can't speak for everyone; I can only speak from my personal experiences and, of course, as a librarian, through knowledge gained by research and reading.

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles as a first-generation American. Though there were many Jewish families near me, that experience wasn't what I saw on TV, in movies, or elsewhere in the media. And if it was, often it was the worst of stereotypes. These images can make one feel "other" or "less than." The strange thing was, there were little bits of Jewishness hidden in plain sight; cultural easter eggs, if you will. I remember a cartoon growing up called Magilla Gorilla. Could this be the same Magillah recited at Purim? Or the character, Schleprock from the Flintstones? Nothing subtle there. When someone referred to a spiel or a tushy, was a Jewish writer sneaking in those little bits of cultural "home?" Here's a list you may not realize are Yiddish words: bagel; glitch; klutz; lox; mensch; schlep; schlock; schlub; schmaltz; schmo; schmooze; schmuck; shtick.

Those are the "fun ones". The "not so funs" was seeing a Rabbi character in full orthodox dress, played onscreen with a violin (if you have intro music, you know something is being played full racist stereotype. Think Chinese gong, etc.) Said character would then do or say something I often felt embarrassed by, though I didn't know why. It wasn't just the thinly veiled characters that made me feel bad, as there were worse ones out there. Think Star Treks' Ferengi. Were they money-hungry Jews or alien creatures representing "human greed"? And dare I say it, the Jewish Goblins...oops, I mean Greedy Goblins who ran Gringotts Bank in a certain wizarding world. Those images don't go unnoticed by children (or adults), and somewhere in our collective conscious, we see that enough, and it becomes part of us; internalized anti-Semitism. But I'm not here to lecture. Lecture Schmeture! (Another example of Yiddish!)

I want to celebrate my culture. When I first looked into adding another "Celebration Month" to the library's website, I had to check my own internalized prejudices at the door. What was I afraid of? That I would appear pushy for wanting this? Greedy? I mean, we're talking an entire webpage here; let's not get ahead of ourselves...oy vey. But this is what internalized hate and micro-aggressions feel like. So here goes nothing! An entire month to celebrate, learn and enjoy parts of my (our) unique Jewish American Heritage. We have programming planned during the month of May, exhibitions, photo collections, and of course, books! We have put together several lists that highlight award-winning writers, award winners (Sydney Taylor Book Awards), cookbooks, biographies, and the darkest of chapters in our history. You can view them and other resources on our Celebration page. Below is a list of some of my recommendations.


Recommended Reading


Book cover for People Love Dead Jews: Reports From a Haunted Present
People Love Dead Jews: Reports From a Haunted Present
Horn, Dara

Book cover for Jews Don't Count: How Identity Politics Failed One Particular Identity
Jews Don't Count: How Identity Politics Failed One Particular Identity
Baddiel, David

Book cover of The Jews of summer : summer camp and Jewish culture in postwar America
The Jews of Summer: Summer Camp and Jewish Culture in Postwar America
Fox, Sandra

Book cover for Jews Who Rock
Jews Who Rock
Oseary, Guy

Book cover for Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love
Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love
Frankel, Rebecca

Book cover for The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation
The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation
Sullivan, Rosemary

Book cover for Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America
Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America
Ross, Steven Joseph

Book cover for The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters: A True Story of Family Fiction
The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters: A True Story of Family Fiction
Klam, Julie

Book cover for When Women Invented Television
When Women Invented Television
Armstrong, Jennifer

Book cover for Why the Jews?: How Jewish Values Transformed Twentieth Century American Pop Culture
Why the Jews?: How Jewish Values Transformed Twentieth Century American Pop Culture
Cherry, Robert D.

Book cover for Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes From a Modern Mensch
Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes From a Modern Mensch
Cohen, Jake

Book cover for Modern Jewish Cooking: Recipes & Customs for Today's Kitchen
Modern Jewish Cooking: Recipes & Customs for Today's Kitchen
Koenig, Leah

Book cover for The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook: 50 Traditional Recipes for Every Occasion
The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook: 50 Traditional Recipes for Every Occasion
Lee, Beth A.

Book cover for The Matzah Ball
The Matzah Ball
Meltzer, Jean

Book cover for The Yiddish Policemen's Union
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Chabon, Michael

Book cover for The Slaughterman's Daughter
The Slaughterman's Daughter
Iczkovits, Yaniv

Book cover for They Went Left
They Went Left
Hesse, Monica

Book cover for The City Beautiful
The City Beautiful
Polydoros, Aden

Book cover for My Fine Fellow
My Fine Fellow
Cohen, Jennieke

Book cover for How to Find What You're Not Looking For
How to Find What You're Not Looking For
Hiranandani, Veera

Book cover for Aviva vs the Dybbuk
Aviva vs the Dybbuk
Lowe, Mari

Book cover for Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen
Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen
Kapit, Sarah

Book cover for Chasing Echoes
Chasing Echoes
Goldman, Dan

Book cover for Shame Pudding: A Graphic Memoir
Shame Pudding: A Graphic Memoir
Noble, Danny

Book cover for Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir
Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir
Feder, Tyler

Book cover for Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero
Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero
Lockhart, E.

Book cover for Maus: A Survivor's Tale
Maus: A Survivor's Tale
Spiegelman, Art

Book cover for Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation
Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation
Folman, Ari

This is the first graphic edition of Anne Frank's diary; a young girls poignant writings during her years of hiding in Amsterdam. This beautiful retelling is a feast for the eyes. Anne Frank's story, already so powerful and unforgettable is brought to life in full color. Even if you have read and reread her story, you will be drawn to this new version.


Book cover for Chunky
Chunky
Mercado, Yehudi

Book cover for The Contract With God Trilogy
The Contract With God Trilogy
Eisner, Will

Book cover for Exit Wounds
Exit Wounds
Modan, Rutu

Book cover for The Unfinished Corner
The Unfinished Corner
Colman, Dani


 

 

 

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