This lesson plan utilizes several resources from the Institute for Curriculum Services lesson plan titled “Jewish Americans: Identity, History, and Experience.” It can be used to introduce your students to Jewish American Heritage Month in May.

This lesson is inspired by the 48 Jews: Layers of Identity Exhibition curated by Molly Dubin at Jewish Museum Milwaukee. Tours and field trips are still available for the summer months.

Explain to students that in the United States, we dedicate specific months of the year to recognizing and celebrating the diverse cultures and histories of various ethnic and marginalized groups. These heritage months aren’t just about holidays or specific events, rather they’re a chance to delve deeper into the stories and contributions of these groups to American history and culture. They offer a focused spotlight on the richness and complexity of our nation’s past, present, and future.

These celebrations offer more than just historical facts. They provide valuable opportunities to explore our unique identities and cultural backgrounds and to learn about and appreciate the experiences of others.

Explain that this lesson will focus on one of those unique heritages and histories -Jewish Americans.

The United States Department of State explains,

“In 2006, President George W. Bush declared May Jewish American Heritage Month to celebrate and recognize the millions of Jewish people who call the United States home. America has long been a safe haven for religious diversity, where members of any faith can freely practice their religion. A significant number of Jewish Americans are the descendants of Jews who fled not only discrimination and persecution but also, in the case of many European Jews, genocide at the hands of the Nazis and their allies in the 1930s and 1940s. Notwithstanding shameful resistance to Jewish immigration during World War II by personnel at the Department of State and other parts of the U.S. government, America became a refuge for millions of Jews and is now home to approximately one-third of the world’s Jewish people. Each May, we pay tribute to the many contributions Jewish Americans have made, and continue to make, to the United States, including Supreme Court Justices and Nobel Prize winners. As the world witnesses a rise in global antisemitism, the United States stands with the diverse American Jewish community and celebrates its rich and varied cultures and long history.”

To celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, it is important to understand the concept of Jewish peoplehood.

Begin by explaining to students that while Judaism is a religion, Jews are not only a religious group. They are also an ethnicity and a people. The concept of Jewish peoplehood means that Jews share a sense of collective identity and belonging like a big, extended family with a long and complex history. The peoplehood is built on shared historical experiences, values, traditions, and a connection to their ancestral homeland, Israel. For thousands of years, Jews have maintained a sense of unity through their culture, language (Hebrew), and a shared narrative that includes both triumphs and struggles. This sense of peoplehood is a core part of what it means to be Jewish, connecting individuals across the globe and through generations.

Next, show this video and have the students jot down key takeaways as they are watching. Provide students with the following resources from the Institute for Curriculum Services (ICS) that they can review, highlight, or jot down information that stands out to them.

• Jewish American Diversity Fact Sheet
• Jewish Americans: Identity, History, and Experience Fact Sheet
• Highlighting Contributions of Jewish Americans

Using the information they learned from the video and the fact sheets, students, either independently or in small groups, should create a flier (handmade or digital) to promote the celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month.

The flier should include:

• A creative title that signifies the celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM)
• A short explanation about when JAHM is and the significance of the month (when it began, why it was created, etc.)
• Brief but informative text that highlights key aspects of your learning about Jewish peoplehood that would excite other schools to celebrate JAHM.
• Consider things like:
  • Images, illustrations, or symbols that represent what was learned about Jewish peoplehood from the video and fact sheets
  • A key Jewish American and their impact
  • An important contribution made by Jewish Americans to society
  • One or more cultural/religious traditions, practices, or beliefs

You may use this rubric to score the flyers.

On Teaching Jewish Peoplehood

Students may enter this lesson with the assumption that Judaism is only a religion, similar to Christianity or Islam. The peoplehood framing is genuinely different from what many students have encountered, and it is worth spending a moment letting them sit with that complexity before moving on. Avoid flattening it: Jews are not a race, not only a religion, and not a monolith. The diversity within Jewish American life is part of the lesson’s point.

On the ICS Resources

Preview all three fact sheets before the lesson. The Jewish American Diversity Fact Sheet in particular surfaces geographic, ethnic, and cultural diversity within Jewish communities that students may find surprising — Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian, and other Jewish communities are all represented. That diversity is worth naming explicitly rather than letting students assume “Jewish American” means one thing.

On the Flier Output

Give students a few minutes to review the rubric before they begin creating. The Jewish Peoplehood & Celebration category carries the most weight (30%) and is the most conceptually demanding — students need to go beyond listing facts about holidays and connect to the idea of shared identity across generations and continents. If students are working in groups, consider assigning roles so that research, writing, and visual design are distributed intentionally.

On Sensitive Conversations

The Department of State excerpt references both the Holocaust and present-day antisemitism. Students may have questions or reactions that extend beyond the lesson’s scope. It is appropriate to acknowledge those briefly and return focus to the affirmative goal of the lesson: celebrating Jewish American life and contributions, not only Jewish suffering or threat.