Michael Tilson Thomas, the longtime music director of the San Francisco Symphony, died last week. Tributes highlighted his brilliance and lasting impact on American music. Too often, though, the fullness of his story — like that of so many Jewish Americans — was overlooked. From his Yiddish theater roots to his cantata “From the Diary of Anne Frank,” Tilson Thomas’ Jewish identity wasn’t incidental; it was integral to what made his work so meaningful. When that piece is overlooked, it falls to us to ensure it is told: to celebrate, claim and uplift the Jewish American voices and legacies that define who we are and our contributions to this country.
Jewish American Heritage Month, observed each May, is an ideal time to do just that. First declared in 2006, JAHM is even more important today, yet it is frequently underappreciated. It’s incumbent upon each of us to ensure that doesn’t happen. This is particularly true in areas like Sonoma County, where I live — areas where Jews simply don’t have enough visibility or representation to expect otherwise. We lack the centralized, multipurpose Jewish organizations of other regions; the entire Jewish population of the North Bay is smaller than the Jewish population of San Francisco.
Simply put, Sonoma County Jews don’t have the luxury of sitting back and assuming that we will be counted and considered. It can be exhausting, but we must continue showing up in public spaces, teaching our neighbors and local leaders that Jewish Americans are, like them, a vibrant, diverse group of people who are committed to the communities in which we live.
A simple and effective way to bring attention to the observance is to request that your local government acknowledge Jewish American Heritage Month. Proclamations can highlight the institutions and celebrations that make your local Jewish community shine. In Sonoma County, a grassroots group of residents has taken on the goal of ensuring that JAHM is honored by our communities. Some localities have enthusiastically welcomed this opportunity; others have pushed back, arguing that they do not recognize religious groups. This becomes a teaching opportunity as we help them understand that Jews are a unique people with a 3,000-year history that includes, but is not solely defined by, religion.
By celebrating JAHM in your community, you can help bring awareness of who Jewish Americans are as individuals and as a group. It’s a chance to remind us all that the very soul of our country shines through our contributions: the poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty was written by a Sephardic Jewish American, Emma Lazarus; and “God Bless America” was written by Jewish immigrant Irving Berlin during his World War I Army service.
JAHM is also an opportunity to inspire our children with the stories of Jewish Americans who have uplifted our society and been role models to generations: astronaut Judith Resnick; author and illustrator Maurice Sendak; sports icons Sandy Koufax and Aly Raisman; polio vaccine creator Jonas Salk; fashion designer Tory Burch; Barbie inventor Ruth Handler; actors David Diggs and Idina Menzel; civil rights leader Harvey Milk; and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Promoting JAHM to local governments, libraries and schools reminds our civic leaders that we are here and enshrines another piece of Jewish American history into our country’s official records. Most localities present proclamations formally, reading them aloud and providing time for a community representative to speak about the importance of the observance. In my city, Santa Rosa, Mayor Mark Stapp immediately responded positively to our request for a proclamation, and I will be proudly in attendance at the City Council meeting when he honors our Jewish community.