Dear John,

Back when I was in high school, I sat down with my grandfather and a tape recorder. We talked about his escape as a Holocaust refugee from Germany, and about our family and how we ended up Americans. Years later, I became familiar with another story of America as a haven for Jews from my wife Marjan, who fled with many other members of the Persian Jewish community after the Islamic revolution in Iran. So the month of May, Jewish American Heritage Month, is a deeply personal celebration for me. It is also an important time for the entire ADL community, since our organization has become a core part of America’s Jewish history during our 100+ years.

The contributions of Jews to this country go back as far as the Revolutionary War era when the United States was founded. Since then, countless Jewish luminaries — Albert Einstein, Emma Lazarus, Levi Strauss, Steven Spielberg, Jonas Salk, Sammy Davis Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg and so many more have been leaders in the arts, the civil rights movement, science, education and business. American Jewry also played a core role in the miraculous establishment and growth of the State of Israel, which just celebrated turning 75.

The story of Jewish Americans has also been plagued with disturbing surges of bigotry and antisemitism including a level of anti-Jewish incidents last year that was the highest that ADL has recorded in decades.

At ADL’s National Leadership Summit going on right now in Washington, D.C., I have been talking with people from across the ADL community about how to build a safer future for American Jews. A big piece of that is recognizing the long history of accomplishments and challenges for this diverse Jewish community that help us build understanding and allyship.

During Jewish American Heritage Month, we invite you to dive into ADL resources to recognize, teach and share the ways that Jewish Americans continue to enrich every part of American life.

Thank you for celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month, honoring a vital part of the country’s shared history, culture, community and blessing.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Greenblatt

CEO and National Director

ADL