Our tradition has a rich tradition of marking important moments in life. From a bris or a brit bat (baby naming) and upsherin (tradition surrounding a boy’s first haircut (usually around the age of 3)), to Bar/Bat Mitzvah, weddings, conversions, and death, Judaism celebrates the events of a lifetime.
I share this idea as our country is about to commemorate and celebrate our 250th Anniversary as a nation. It is a momentous occasion, and we should all mark it by saying Shechiyanu, because it is the perfect thing to say, as the prayer means: Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d, Sovereign of all, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.
As we reflect on the history of the US, I feel it is important to highlight and honor the incredible contributions made by Jewish Americans. They have impacted various sectors of life… Science, Law, Education, Music, Fashion, Civil Rights, Media, Movies and TV, theater, Politics… the list could go on.
So here is a very brief list of people I have compiled (in no particular order) from numerous sources and the important and/or revolutionary work/innovation/impact on society today:
• Haym Solomon – a Jewish businessman who loaned and/or donated over $600,000 to help fund the Revolutionary War
• Louis Brandeis – first Jewish Supreme Court Justice and pioneered the use of sociological data in legal briefs and fiercely defended free speech
• Lillian Wald – fought for public health care, women’s rights, and children’s rights and was involved in the founding of the NAACP
• Levi Strauss – Founder of the first company to manufacture blue jeans
• Jonas Salk – developed the first successful polio vaccine
• Samuel Gompers – founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL), fundamentally improving conditions for American workers.
• Rose Schneiderman – a leading labor union activism was active in women’s suffrage movement, and was a member of Roosevelt’s “brain trust”
• Stan Lee – Comic book writer and publisher who built Marvel Comics, co-creating legendary superheroes like Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, and the Hulk
• Gloria Steinem – a pioneering feminist journalist, political activist, and leader of the women’s liberation movement who founded Ms. magazine
• Irving Berlin – one of the most prolific songwriters in American history who composed “God Bless America” and other standards like “White Christmas”
• Jerry Lewis – one of the most popular actors and comedians of his time and the host of the Annual Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Association for over 40 years
• Albert Einstein – revolutionized modern physics with his theory of relativity and helped alter history by alerting the U.S. to the potential for atomic energy
• George and Ira Gershwin – legendary American songwriting duo who are instrumental in the creation of the Great American Songbook
• Louis B. Mayer – Producer/studio chief at Hollywood’s largest and most influential movie studio
• Julius Rosenwald – Under his leadership, the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalogue created the first dominant mail-order business
• David Levy Yulee – the first Jew to be elected to the House of Representatives
• Emma Lazarus – an advocate for immigrants and a poet who composed America’s most iconic lines of welcome that are inscribed on the Statue of Liberty
• Henry Kissinger – American diplomat who helped shape modern American foreign policy
• Betty Friedan – founded the National Organization of Women and wrote “The Feminine Mystique”
And in honor of his recent 100th birthday, I would add Mel Brooks – legendary filmmaker, comedian, and actor best known as the undisputed king of the Hollywood parody.
As you look to the sky to watch Saturday’s fireworks, I hope you will think about the incredible contributions American Jews have had on helping shape not only our country, but also the impact they have made on society as a whole.
Jason Moss is executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Greater
San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.
