Celebrating and Elevating Jewish Voices During Jewish American Heritage Month
Written by the Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council, June 10, 2025
Throughout May, the Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) proudly celebrated Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM)—a time to honor the rich history, culture, and contributions of Jewish Americans. Created in 2006, JAHM also serves as a vital opportunity to uplift Jewish voices and advocate for safety, inclusion, and accurate representation in schools and communities.
This year, we empowered leaders and community members alike to take part with a comprehensive toolkit—and the impact was felt across government, schools, and civic life. Check out the toolkit here!
Jewish American Heritage Month received powerful civic recognition at both the city and county level this year. At the May 20 King County Council meeting, Councilmembers Girmay Zahilay and Reagan Dunn sponsored a JAHM proclamation. Rabbis Daniel Weiner, Rachel Nussbaum, and Jason Levine, along with Kristin Winkel and Max Patashnik, attended the meeting to accept the proclamation.
In addition to the two proclamations mentioned above, Governor Bob Ferguson, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson, Issaquah Mayor Mary Lou Pauly, and Kirkland Mayor Kelli Curtis also issued proclamations honoring the enduring contributions of Jewish Americans and underscoring the importance of inclusive civic acknowledgment. Several new relationships were forged with elected officials.
That same day at the Kent City Council meeting, Mayor Dana Ralph presented a proclamation recognizing JAHM to our own Max Patashnik, Director of JCRC and Government Affairs.
To expand awareness and action, we reached out to over 300 elected officials and intergroup partners across Washington State. Our outreach included ways to meaningfully recognize JAHM—such as sponsoring proclamations, posting on social media, or signing our local antisemitism pledge.
To expand awareness and action, we reached out to over 300 elected officials and intergroup partners across Washington State. Our outreach included ways to meaningfully recognize JAHM—such as sponsoring proclamations, posting on social media, or signing our local antisemitism pledge.
In addition to the two proclamations mentioned above, Governor Bob Ferguson, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson, Issaquah Mayor Mary Lou Pauly, and Kirkland Mayor Kelli Curtis also issued proclamations honoring the enduring contributions of Jewish Americans and underscoring the importance of inclusive civic acknowledgment. Several new relationships were forged with elected officials.
Education is key to lasting change. That’s why we sent tailored JAHM resource packets to 313 public school districts, ESDs, tribal and charter schools, and 25 targeted independent schools across Washington. The packets included book lists, lesson guides, and educational tools to highlight Jewish American stories and contributions.
Schools utilized the resources for everything from bringing in speakers, utilizing curricular resources, putting up posters, creating displays in libraries, to empowering Jewish student unions to design school-specific programming—ensuring that students across the state had opportunities to learn about Jewish heritage in meaningful ways in the classroom.
