National Jewish American Heritage Month (May): Home

Jewish American Heritage Month had its origins in 1980 when Congress passed Pub. L. No. 96-237, which authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating April 21 - 28, 1980 as Jewish Heritage Week. On April 24, 1980, President Carter issued this first proclamation, Proclamation No. 4752 External, for Jewish Heritage Week.

On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that May would be Jewish American Heritage Month.

The month of May was chosen due to the highly successful celebration of the 350th Anniversary of American Jewish History in May 2004, which was organized by the Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History. This coalition was composed of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, the American Jewish Historical Society, the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration.