SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — The Jewish American Heritage Month project hired its first national coordinator.
The 3-year-old annual celebration of the Jewish contribution to American society hired Abby Schwartz after receiving a $143,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Schwartz, who is based in Cincinnati at the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, oversees the JAHM Coalition, formed in March 2007 and convened by United Jewish Communities, AJA, and the American Jewish Historical Society. The coalition is composed of the directors of major national Jewish historical and cultural organizations including the Jewish Women’s Archive, the National Museum of American Jewish History, the Council of American Jewish Museums and the Jewish Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
The project will launch a Web site in early November to highlight programs and activities taking place across the country. It will include a timeline of Jewish-American history and will spotlight Jewish-American contributions in fields ranging from sports and entertainment to medicine, business and science.
Jewish American Heritage Month has been celebrated in May since 2006.
