In May 2021, We celebrated Jewish American and Asian American Heritage!

Click the buttons to the right to explore more about Jewish American and Asian Pacific American history. Today, America is home to around 7 million Jewish Americans.

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Jewish Americans may identify as Jewish based on religion, ethnic upbringing, or both.

The Jewish population in America is diverse and includes all races and ethnicities.

Did you know?

• Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, one of the most famous Jewish athletes in American sports, made national headlines when he refused to pitch in the first game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on .

• is not the most popular holiday in Jewish heritage. is the most celebrated of all with more than 70% of Jewish Americans taking part in a seder, its ritual meal. Hanukkah may be the best known Jewish holiday in the United States. But despite its popularity in the U.S., Hanukkah is ranked one of ’s minor festivals, and nowhere else does it garner such attention. The holiday is mostly a domestic celebration, although special holiday prayers also expand synagogue worship. Explore Hanukkah The Menorah

Hanukkah may be the most well The Hanukkah menorah (or chanukiah) is known Jewish holiday in the United a nine-branched candelabrum lit during the States. But despite its popularity in eight-day holiday of Hanukkah, as opposed the U.S., Hanukkah is ranked one to the seven-branched menorah used in of Judaism’s minor festivals, and the ancient Temple or as a symbol. On each nowhere else does it garner such night of Hanukkah a new branch is lit. attention. The holiday is mostly a domestic celebration, although The ninth holder, called the shamash, is for special holiday prayers also expand a candle used to light all other candles and/ synagogue worship. or to be used as an extra light. To be kosher the shamash must be offset on a higher or The word “Hanukkah” means lower plane than the main eight candles or dedication. It commemorates the oil lamps. rededicating of the ancient in 165 B.C. Celebrate

Passover Passover is a Jewish holiday During passover all leaven, whether in commemorating the Hebrews’ bread or other mixture, is prohibited. liberation from slavery in and Only unleavened bread, called matzo, the “passing over” of the forces of may be eaten. destruction, or the sparing of the firstborn of the , when the The matzo symbolizes both the Lord “smote the land of Egypt” on the eve of . Hebrews’ suffering while in bondage and the haste with which they left Passover begins with the 15th day of Egypt in the course of the Exodus. the of Nisan (which typically Passover is also sometimes called the falls in March or April). Depending Festival of Unleavened Bread. on an individual’s beliefs, Passover may be observed for either seven or eight days. Notable Individuals Isacc Mizrahi Mizrahi, (born October 14, 1961, Gali Cooks Brooklyn, , U.S.), American designer who was known for provocative Gali Cooks is the Founding President clothing designs as well as for his outsize and Chief Executive Officer of Leading personality on television and in film. He made Edge, an organization formed to influence, a career of dressing the Hollywood elite as well inspire, and enable dramatic change in as the general public. attracting, developing, and retaining top talent for Jewish organizations. Mizrahi was raised in a religious Syrian Jewish household. His father was a children’s clothing Gali brings extensive professional manufacturer, and his mother was well known for her fashion sense. Mizrahi learned to use a experience in the nonprofit, public, and sewing machine and was making clothes - first for puppets and then for people - by the time he private sectors to Leading Edge. was in his teens. Mizrahi attended a in Flatbush, New York, before transferring to ’s High School of Performing Arts (now the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music Her career began in D.C., where she was a speechwriter at the Embassy of & Art and Performing Arts), where he developed his interests in acting and performance (he Israel and worked as a Legislative Assistant at AIPAC. She was Founding appeared in Fame, the 1980 movie about that school.) He then attended Director of the PJ Library at the Grinspoon Foundation and served as Executive to study fashion (graduated 1982) and while there began working part-time for designer Perry Director of the Rita J. & Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, overseeing the Ellis. After graduating he continued to work for Ellis and then held jobs with Jeffrey Banks and distribution of millions of philanthropic dollars. In the private sector, Gali before starting his own business in New York City in 1987. was VP of Operations at an ed-tech startup. Gali has served on the boards of Exponent Philanthropy, Keshet, and the NYC Venture Philanthropy Fund. She His strikingly colorful and off-beat designs helped his career take off quickly. The Council of holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) recognized him with the Award (now called and a Master of Business Administration from NYU’s Stern School of Business. the Swarovski Emerging Talent Award) in 1988 and the womenswear designer of the year award Retrieved from https://www.cjp.org/streams/speaker-bios/gali-cooks. in 1989. He became known for designing with a sense of humor and for making overt references to pop culture, art, and sometimes even current events (e.g., an evening gown called “Desert Storm” that made reference to the 1990–91 Persian Gulf War). He used surprising fabrics in unexpected ways, such as tartan plaid for an evening gown (1989). With a changing aesthetic from season to season, he defied categorization. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/ biography/Isaac-Mizrahi. A record 23 million Americans trace their roots to more than 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, each with unique histories, cultures, languages and other characteristics. Click the buttons below for more! Click the button below to return to the main menu Learn

Asian Pacific Americans are a diverse group of individuals with unique and diverse cultures that have made an enormous impact with their contributions to America.

Did you know?

• The Asian population in the United States nearly doubled between 2000 and 2019 and is projected to surpass 46 million by 2060.

• Asian Pacific Americans are the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the United States. Explore

Asian and Pacific Americans are a diverse group of people with origins in the Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, or the Pacific Islands.

This area includes China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Phillippines, Samoa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Singapore, and Bhutan. Celebrate Every year, Americans across the country participate in festivals celebrating Asian Pacific American heritage.

One such festival occurs ev- ery September in Indianap- olis. Local Chinese cultural organizations collaborate each year to to put on the festival. Visitors experience the aesthetics, food and cul- ture of China. Notable Individuals Yuri Kochiyama Kochiyama was a Japanese American and civil rights activist who was influenced by two years Duke Kahanamoku she spent in American internment camps during World War 2. Nicknamed “The Big Kahuna”, Kahanamoku was a Native She was an advocate for many causes, including Hawaiian Olympic gold medalist, the antiwar movement, the rights of political surfer, and actor. prisoners, and reparations for Japanese American internees. Her civil right’s work extended to Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in causes impacting Black, Latinx, and Indigenious 1890, Kahanamoku was a five-time Peoples. Olympic medalist in swimming, having competed in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, and the Dr David Ho 1924 Olympics in Paris. David Ho is Taiwanese American research Following his trail-blazing athletic physician and virologist. He earned his medical career, Kahanamoku worked as an degree from Harvard - MIT Division of Heath actor, sheriff and surfer, helping Science and Technology in 1978. to popularize the Hawaiian sport of surfing to a new generation of Dr Ho has been on the frontilines of HIV and surfers all over the world. Coronavirus research, and has made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of HIV infection.