Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

In recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month, which takes place annually in May, The Daily talked with Adam Saar, a rising third-year student majoring in cognitive science and economics and minoring in public policy. Saar is co-founder of Case Western Reserves Jewish Student Union, which aims to provide Jewish students with a cultural, ethnic, and national affinity space through cultural and social events.

Read on to learn about Saars experience at the universityand how his heritage has impacted his life.

Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Saar: I grew up in Ithaca, New York, in an Israeli, Hebrew-speaking household; both of my parents immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990s. I also spent a couple of my elementary school years in Ramat HaSharon, Israel, my dads hometown. When I visit my extended family in Israel every year, I mainly split my time between Ramat HaSharon and Ashkelon, my moms hometown.

Saar: My combination of majors allows me to focus my studies and human decision-making processes and mechanisms, which is my main academic interest. I hope to use this knowledge of human decision-making and behavior to positively impact the community or society in some way, and my interest in public policy complements that well.

Saar: Jewish American heritage is as diverse as Judaism itself. We are Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, came as refugees from Russian pogroms, as Holocaust survivors, as immigrants from Jewish communities all around the world, such as Israel (like me), South Africa, Latin America, and more. And yet any American Jew can still play Jewish Geography with any other American Jewwe have so many varying backgrounds yet are still all part of our tight-knit tribe.

Saar: Very few people outside of the people of Israel actually understand what Judaism really is, and thus there are many common misconceptions of American Jews and Judaismthat Judaism is only a faith, that Jews are white, that Jews come from Eastern Europe. By celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month and learning more about Jewish American heritage and history, the general public can come to a better understanding of Judaism and the American Jewish community and dispel many of these misconceptions. Additionally, this is the only way that our society can understand and ultimately address instances of deeply entrenched antisemitism/judeophobia.

Read more here:

Jewish American Heritage Month: Meet the co-founder of CWRU's Jewish Student Union - The Daily | Case Western Reserve University

Category: Jewish Heritage Month
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