May is Jewish American Heritage Month. This is the time to recognize the experiences and contributions of Jewish Americans. In 1980, the first Jewish American Heritage Week was celebrated in April of the year. In 2006, it was elevated to a month-long recognition and moved to the month of May.

Percentage of Jewish population in each state in 2015. By Irvadm [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

The Berman Jewish DataBank estimates that as of 2015 there were 6,829,930 Jewish people living in the United States. That is 2.14% of the total population.

Timeline of Jewish American History

1654 First record of Jewish settlers coming to North America. Twenty-three Sephardi Jews arrived in New Amsterdam (which became New York in 1664). In 1655, the directors of the Dutch West India Company, who governed the colony, agreed to allow them to settle there permanently.
\”The Early History of the Jews in New York, 1654-1664\” in Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society by Samuel Oppenheim

1730 The New York Jewish community created the first synagogue in North America.
\”The Congregation Shearith Israel\” in Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society by N. Taylor Phillips
America\’s First Synagogues [streaming video]

1763 The Touro Synagogue was built in Newport, Rhode Island. It is the oldest continuously operating synagogue in the United States.
\”House of Worship: At Touro Synagogue, the Jewish Story is the American Story\” in National Parks by Ethan Gilsdorf

1774 Francis Salvador became the first Jewish elected official in America. He was elected to the South Carolina legislature. In 1776, he died fighting for the patriot cause in the American Revolution.
\”Francis Salvador, A Prominent Patriot of the Revolutionary War\” in Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society by Leon Huhner

Interior of the Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI. Built in 1763. It is the oldest continuously operating synagogue in the US. By S.d.touro [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)%5D, from Wikimedia Commons

1802 In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the first Ashkenazi synagogue was built in the United States.

1819 Philanthropist Rebecca Gratz founded the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society, a charity organization that is still in operation.

1843 German Jewish immigrants form the B\’nai B\’rith fraternal order.

1845 Lewis Charles Levin, of Pennsylvania, became the first Jewish person to serve in the House of Representatives.

         David Levy Yulee, of Florida, became the first Jewish person to serve in the Senate.

1854 Isaac Mayer Wise founded The Israelite newspaper (It became The American Israelite in 1874). It is the longest-running English language Jewish newspaper still in publication the United States.

1860 Morris Raphall became the first Rabbi to open a session of the US Congress with prayer.

1861-65 Judah P. Benjamin became the first Jewish person to serve in a government Cabinet in North America. He served the Confederate States of America as Attorney General, then Secretary of War, and finally as Secretary of State.
Judah P. Benjamin by Pierce Butler

Rebecca Gratz (1781-1869). Painted by Thomas Sully in 1831. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

1880-1924 About 27 million people immigrated to the US during this period. Approximately 2 million of them were Jewish people from Central and Eastern Europe.
Jewish Immigration to the United States from 1881-1910 by Samuel Joseph
Troubled Waters: The Origins of the 1881 Anti-Jewish Pogroms in Russia by Irwin Michael Aronson

1883 Emma Lazarus composed the poem \”The New Colossus\” to raise money to build a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. In 1903, a plaque engraved with the poem was placed in the statue\’s pedestal. A famous line from that poem is \”Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…\”
Emma Lazarus by Esther H. Schor
Liberty\’s Voice: The Story of Emma Lazarus by Erica Silverman

1885 The first Yiddish language newspaper Yidishes Tageblatt (The Jewish Daily News) was published in the United States. It ceased publication in 1928.

1887 Washington Bartlett, of California, became the first Jewish person elected as governor of a US State.

1906 Oscar Straus became the first Jewish person to serve on the US Cabinet. He served as Secretary of Commerce until 1909.
The American Spirit by Oscar S. Straus
Under Four Administrations: From Cleveland to Taft by Oscar S. Straus

1910 The first Ladino language newspaper Lah Amerikah began publication. It continued until 1925.
\”Asymmetric Fates: Secular Yiddish and Ladino Culture in Comparison\” in The Jewish Quarterly Review by Sarah Abrevaya Stein

Louis D. Brandeis (1856-1941) in 1916. By Harris & Ewing [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

1915 Leo Frank was lynched in Marietta, Georgia.
The Leo Frank Case by Leonard Dinnerstein
An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution and Persecution of Leo Frank by Elaine Marie Alphin

1916 Louis Brandeis became the first Jewish person to serve on the Supreme Court.
Letters of Louis D. Brandeis by Louis Dembitz Brandeis
Other People\’s Money and How the Bankers Use It by Louis Dembitz Brandeis

1920 Henry Ford acquired the Dearborn Independent newspaper and used it to publish 91 anti-Semitic propaganda articles over the next several years, including the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

1924 Immigration Act of 1924 strictly limited the number of immigrants entering the United States, which resulted in a decline of Jewish immigration from Europe.

1933 Fleeing persecution from the Nazi government in Germany, Albert Einstein immigrated to the United States and became a resident scholar at the Institution for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He obtained US citizenship in 1940. 
The Meaning of Relativity by Albert Einstein
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) in 1935. By Sophie Delar, photographer; published in 1955 by \”unknown press organization\” per source (RR Auction and Einstein\’s World) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

1941-45 Approximately 500,000 Jewish Americans served in the armed forces during World War II.
GI Jews: How World War II Changed a Generation by Deborah Dash Moore

1945-52 President Truman issued a directive to allow immigration preference for those displaced by World War II. An estimated 80,000 Jewish immigrants arrived to the US during these years.

1955 Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine.
Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio by Jeffrey Kluger

1963 Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, which sparked the modern feminist movement. In 1966, she co-founded the National Organization for Women.
Success and Solitude: Feminist Organizations Fifty Years after The Feminine Mystique by Sarah Maxwell

1993 The United States Holocaust Museum opened in Washington DC.

2000 Joe Lieberman became the first Jewish American nominated for Vice President by one of the two major political parties.


Tarleton\’s library has a large collection of materials relevant to the Jewish American experience. Such as these titles:

The Chosen Folks: Jews on the Frontiers of Texas by Bryan Edward Stone
The Columbia History of Jews & Judaism in America ed. by Marc Lee Raphael
God, Faith & Identity from the Ashes: Reflections of Children and Grandchildren of Holocaust Survivors by Menachem Z. Rosensaft
Jewish \”Junior League\”: The Rise and Demise of the Fort Worth Council of Jewish Women by Hollace Ava Weiner
Jewish Women Pioneering the Frontier Trail: A History in the American West by Jeanne E. Abrams
Jews and Gentiles in Early America, 1654-1800 by William Pencak
The Jews of the United States, 1654-2000 by Hasia R. Diner
Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas by Hollace Ava Weiner
Memories of Two Generations: A Yiddish Life in Russia and Texas by Z. Gurwitz
Still Jewish: A History of Women and Intermarriage in America by Keren R. McGinity
Who is a Jew? Reflections on History, Religion, and Culture by Leonard J. Greenspoon