It’s Jewish American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the many contributions Jews have made to the United States and explore their American experience. Here are some films and books that focus on the American Jewish experience.

  • The Jewish Journey: America – This documentary includes interviews with scholars and Jewish-American writers, many of whom are immigrants themselves. They share the varied stories of migration through the last five centuries, with a rarely explored look at the actual journeys to get here.
  • Shared Legacies – This film focuses on the often-forgotten story of the coalition and friendship between the Jewish and African-American communities during the Civil Rights Movement, an alliance that dates all the way back to the founding of the NAACP. Watch Trailer Here
  • Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy Narrated by Joel Grey, this film explores the unique role that Jewish composers and lyricists have played in the creation of the modern American musical. It showcases the work of some of the nation’s pre-eminent creators of musical theatre including Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Kurt Weill, Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Bock, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Jule Styne and many others.
  • GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II. The film includes interviews with Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, and Henry Kissinger.
  • When Jews Were Funny – a film about comedians in America. It features Marc Maron, Rodney Dangerfield, Judy Gold, Gilbert Gottfried, and Howie Mandel.
  • The World of Our Mothers: The Lives of Jewish Immigrant Women (2011) by Sydney Stahl Weinberg—This book presents a vivid social history of Eastern European Jewish women who immigrated to New York City in the early 20th century, highlighting their struggles, resilience, and roles in shaping family and community life.
  • The Jew­ish Amer­i­cans: Three Cen­turies of Jew­ish Voic­es in America (2007) by Beth Wenger—A richly documented narrative that traces the diverse experiences of Jewish Americans from colonial times to the present, illustrating how they have shaped—and been shaped by—the American experience.
  • For a list of children’s books that celebrate Jewish-American Heritage month, click here.
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