Jewish American Heritage Month

BACKGROUND

Jewish American Heritage Month celebrates the 4.2-5.3 million Jewish Americans in the United States (according to the 2010 U.S. Census). A Portrait of Jewish Americans. Pew Research Center, October 1, 2013.

In 2006, President George W. Bush officially established May as Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) after a campaign led by Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the late Senator Arlen Specter. President George W. Bush … helped the legislation overcome its final hurdle by convincing Republican lawmakers to exempt Jewish American Heritage Month from a rule they passed limiting the number of officially mandated days. Guttman, Nathan. (2015, May 30). Why Does No One Care about Jewish Heritage Month? Forward. )

Establishing May as Jewish American Heritage Month came on the heels of celebrations marking 350 years of Jewish America in 2005. The Heritage Month is now an annual recognition and celebration of Jewish American achievements and contributions to the United States. It was last proclaimed by President Donald J. Trump in May 2018.

"The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who have helped form the fabric of American history, culture and society."

WHO IS JEWISH?

Weiner, Rebecca. Judaism: Who Is a Jew? Jewish Virtual Library, American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, 1998-2018. "Judaism is a religion as well as a nation and culture. Jews come in all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and nationalities. There are black Jews from Ethiopia, Chinese Jews from Shanghai and Indian Jews. There are Jews from Morocco and Iran, Jews from South America and Oceania. The practices and beliefs held by Jews range from those who openly identify as Orthodox and strictly observe ancient precepts to those who have nothing to do with the religion or culture."

JEWISH AMERICAN HISTORY

"The influx of Jews into American life came in three waves: (1) Sephardic Jews (originating from Spain and Portugal, sometimes through Brazil) around the time of the American Revolution, (2) German Jews after the failed German revolution in 1848, and (3) Polish and Russian Jews fleeing from Russian pogroms before WWI through the post-WWII/Holocaust era, which was by far the largest of the three waves.

Each of these waves brought with it a distinct economic, social and religious tradition and contributed to the fabric of American Jewish life. More recently, Eastern European Jews have come to the U.S. after the fall of communism, adding yet another layer onto the Jewish American experience." Manwill, Rachel. 20 Essential Jewish-American Novels (and Story Collections) of the Past 20 Years. Bookriot

HISTORY SELECTIONS FROM ACC LIBRARY COLLECTIONS

Books

Aviva, Ben-Ur. Sephardic Jews in America: A Diasporic History. E184.36.E84 B46 2009

Ely, Stanley E. In Jewish Texas: A Family Memoir. CT275.E425 A3 1998 EBK

Ferris, Marcie and Mark I. Greenberg, eds. Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History. F220.J5 J46 2006

Finkelstein, Norman H. American Jewish History. E184.35 .F565 2007

Kotz, Nick. The Harness Maker's Dream: Nathan Kallison and the Rise of South Texas. F394.S2119 J5 2013 EBK ebooks on EBSCOhost

Lee, Marc, ed. The Columbia History of Jews and Judaism in America. E184.35 .C65 2008

Ornish, Natalie. Pioneer Jewish Texans: Their Impact on Texas and American History for Four Hundred Years, 1590-1990. F395.J5 O76 1989

Rosen, Robert N. The Jewish Confederates. F220.J5 R67 2000

Pollack, Eunice G. & Norwood, Stephen Harlan. Encyclopedia of American Jewish History. Reference. E184.35 .E53 2008

Stone, Bryan Edward. The Chosen Folks: Jews on the Frontiers of Texas. F395.J5 S76 2010

Weiner, Hollace Ava & Roseman, Kenneth. Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas. F395.J5 L66 2007

Wenger, Beth S. History Lessons: The Creation of American Jewish Heritage. E184.35 .W418 2010

Streaming Videos

America's First Synagogues. (45 min. 38 sec.) Streaming Video - Films On Demand.
Summary: Tells the story of the Jewish pilgrims who founded Congregation Shearith Israel—a "Remnant of Israel"—in 1654 in the Dutch trading post of New Amsterdam, modern day New York City.

Goldberg, Andrew, filmmaker. The Jewish Journey: America. (55 min., 3 sec) Streaming Video - Films On Demand.

Grubin, David. The Jewish Americans: A Series by David Grubin. (340 minutes) Streaming Video – Kanopy.
Summary: This three-part documentary explores 350 years of Jewish American history.

JEWISH ACHIEVEMENT

Jewish Biographies: 50 Most Influential American Jews, 2016. Jewish Virtual Library.

Jewhoo, a site that listed Jewish notables, disappeared in 2005. Judaism 101 recommends JINFO as a replacement.

Pease, Steven L. (2015, Jun 13). The Debate over Jewish Achievement. Aish.com.

LINKS

The American Jewish Archives
Anti-Defamation League
B'nai B'rith International
The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
Museum of Jewish Heritage, located in Manhattan, New York City, is a memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust.
National Museum of American Jewish History, founded in 1976, a Smithsonian-affiliated museum is located in Philadelphia PA.
National Museum of American Jewish Military History
Shalom Austin
Texas Jewish Historical Society
Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies

For additional information, see the Dimensions of Diversity and Multicultural History research guides.

Scientists, Writers, Historians, Oh my!

Photo by Amy Heath

Did you know that many Austin Community College faculty members are published authors? If you've ever wondered who wrote the scholarly journal article of the novel in your citation, the answer may be "your professor!" Not only are they considered experts in their fields, but they actively continue to contribute by sharing their scholarly findings, fiction, poetry, and so much more. You may even find their work in your local ACC Library or in our online databases.

ACC Library Services celebrates the work of ACC professors by maintaining a web page of their published works, performances, exhibits, and other achievements. We feature work by scientists, writers, historians, and more.

Hello my name is expert 2. Photo by Graham Lavender.
Licensed under CC BY 2.0

The next time you across the "authority" question on the CRAAP test, you might find out that the author works in your field, belongs to professional organizations, or teaches the next generation. You may even be enrolled in one of their classes.

For faculty members: are you a published author? Is your work on display? We want to hear about it! Simply fill out this form, and we'll feature your work on the ACC Libraries website. Don't forget to take a gander at our guidelines.




Contact Amanda Winograd, Faculty Librarian at amanda.winograd@austincc.edu for questions.

Arab American Heritage Month

BACKGROUND

National Arab American Heritage Month celebrates the 1,697,570 Arab Americans in the United States (according to the 2010 U.S. Census).
See 100 Questions and Answers about Arab Americans, a journalist's guide developed by Joe Grimm, MSU School of Journalism.

ARAB AMERICAN ARTISTS AND WRITERS

Etching Our Own Image: Voices from within the Arab-American Art Movement, edited by Anan Ameri and Holly Arida. NX512.3.A73 E83 2007 EBK eBooks on EBSCOhost.

Encyclopedia of Arab American Artists. N6538.A73 O94 2008 EBK Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Modern Arab American Fiction: A Reader's Guide, by Steven Salaita. PS153.A73 S33 2011 NRG

April is also National Poetry Month--a good time to enjoy the verses of Arab American poets:

I believe in you, and I believe in your destiny.
I believe that you are contributors to this new civilization.
I believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream, a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America.
--Khalil Gibran

"These are the words of [possibly the most famous] Arab American poet ... Gibran Khalil (Kahlil) Gibran, written to Arab immigrants about a century ago" (Introduction, page [xiii], Encyclopedia of Arab American Artists. ACC libraries have several of his works, including The Prophet, for which he is best known

Gibran, Kahlil. The Prophet. PS3513.I25 P7 2010 EGN, HYS, RVS

Halaby, Laila. My Name on His Tongue: Poems. PS3608.A5455 M9 2012 NRG

Poetry by Naomi Shihab Nye
“Naomi Shihab Nye was born on March 12, 1952, in St. Louis, Missouri, to a Palestinian father and an American mother. During her high school years, she lived in Ramallah in Palestine, the Old City in Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas, where she later received her BA in English and world religions from Trinity University” (Academy of American Poets).
Read some of her poems at the Poetry Foundation or choose one of these titles from the ACC Library collections:

Nineteen Poems about the Middle East. PS3564.Y44 A613 2002 RRC

Words under the Words: Selected Poems. PS3564.Y44 A6 1995 RVS

Hugging the Jukebox. PS3564.Y44 H8 1982 RVS

Texas Poets in Concert: a Quartet--R.S. Gwynn, Jan Epton Seale, Naomi Shihab Nye, William Virgil Davis. PS558 .T4 T39 1990 SAC

FAMOUS ARAB AMERICANS

Pop culture notables include singer-choreographer Paula Abdul, singer Frank Zappa, pop star Shakira, *M*A*S*H actor Jamie Farr, actors Michael Nouri and Vince Vaughn (Lebanese grandparent), Wendie Malick (father is from Egypt), Tony Shalhoub ("Monk"), Vic Tayback (TV series "Alice"), Kathy Najimy (films "Sister Act" and "Hocus Pocus"), Salma Hayek (Lebanese and Mexican descent), Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham, screenwriter and novelist William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist), and more.

Arab American Texans include Richard E. Rainwater (Lebanese-American) who built his reputation managing investments for Texas wealthy Bass family and earned millions for himself as a result; Egyptian-born Texas billionaire Fayez Sarofim who heads Fayez Sarofim Co., a team of investment managers, is part owner of the NFL team Houston Texans, and manages the Houston Fine Arts Museum’s $300 million endowment; Texas lawyer Joseph D. Jamail who won the biggest business settlement in U.S. history, on behalf of Pennzoil ($10 billion dollars!), and U.S. Congressman Abraham Kazen, Jr. usually known as Chick Kazen, who was a U.S. Representative from Texas's 23rd congressional district from 1966-1984. (Arab American Institute)

The Arab American National Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the first museum in the world devoted to Arab American history and culture. “By bringing the voices and faces of Arab Americans to mainstream audiences, we continue our commitment to dispel misconceptions about Arab Americans and other minorities. The Museum brings to light the shared experiences of immigrants and ethnic groups, paying tribute to the diversity of our nation.”

DEMOGRAPHICS

Arab Households in the United States: 2006-2010. American Community Survey May 2013, Maryam Asi and Daniel Beaulieu. U.S. Census Bureau.

We the People of Arab Ancestry in the United States. Published by the U.S. Census Bureau, March 2005.

For more information on Arab Americans, see the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys, Dimensions of Diversity, and Multicultural History research guides.

¡Celebrar la Semana Nacional del Idioma Extranjero!

 حتفال أسبوع اللغة الأجنبية الوطنية  (Arabic)

慶祝國家外語週 (Chinese)

Célébrer la semaine nationale des langues étrangères (French)

Feiern Sie die nationale Fremdsprachenwoche (German)

Festeggia la settimana nazionale di lingua straniera (Italian)

各国の外国語週間を祝う(Japanese)

국가 별 외국어 주간을 축하하다 (Korean, coming soon!)

Celebramus nationalibus linguam alienam sabbati (Latin)

отмечать неделю национального иностранного! (Russian)

"National Foreign Language Week" by Alpha Mu Gamma is licensed under CC BY 4.0

These are all the ways that ACC students studying Foreign Languages say

“Happy National Foreign Language Week!”

ACC supports 9 Foreign Languages, with a tenth coming soon, so you have many to
choose from when you are looking to fulfill that language requirement.
And if you are majoring in a language, check out the Careers tab on the Library Guide
or Alpha Mu Gamma, the National Honor Society for Foreign Languages.

All ACC Libraries have materials on each language but some campuses have more
materials than others, depending on where the languages are taught. However, you
can request materials to be sent to your campus by Requesting a Copy of a material.

You can also search by language using the advanced search features in the Library
catalog. Type in a keyword and limit by language.

Looking for local resources, including festivals, restaurants, and other cultural events?
Check out the Web Resources page on the Foreign Language Library Guide!

Au revoir, Vale, Adiós, Прощай, 안녕, さようなら, Addio, وداعا 再見 Auf Wiedersehen!

BatLab Makerspace @ ACC Libraries

Fun with E-Textiles!

The BatLab Makerspace features a variety of exiting STEAM activities that encourage exploration, innovation, collaboration, communication, entrepreneurship, peer-learning, engagement, and student success.  Each activity is tied to student learning outcomes and provides opportunities to develop creativity, participate in active learning, practice critical thinking, and engage in inquiry based learning.

LED Diorama Drama

Join Us! 

Visual Design Students Making Paper Shadow Boxes

The BatLab team will host meetup events at every campus in the Spring 2019 semester, so be sure to check the calendar of upcoming events in the BatLab Makerspace Library Guide!  There will be lots of fun learning opportunities for makers of various experience levels.

More Ways to Learn! 

Basic Arduino Kit

Library Services has several BatLab kits available for checkout, featuring materials needed to further explore topics such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and Robotics.  Kits are currently housed at the Highland Campus, however users can request for kits to be sent to any ACC Library for checkout.  Need help with a kit?  Bring it to a Makerspace Meetup or contact the team for assistance!

Visit the online BatLab Makerspace Library Guide for links to resources, projects, kit information, and a calendar of upcoming events.  Browse the Library's collection of books and ebooks on makerspaces and the maker movement, Arduino, 3D Printing, Raspberry Pi and more!

Emergency Management - Career and Research Options

Have you ever wondered about what happens after a catastrophic event, such as a(n):

Photo by Nikolas Noonan on Unsplash

• earthquake
• flood
• tornado
• fire
• terrorist attack

Disasters like these can cause large numbers of fatalities, as well as large-scale destruction of property. So how does the government, as well as hospitals, non-profit organizations, and private companies, prepare for and deal with the aftermath of events like these? If you have wondered these things, you may be interested in studying Emergency Management, and it just so happens that ACC has recently added an Associate’s Degree in Emergency Management.

"USACE Los Angeles District Emergency Management response team" by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Emergency management directors and specialists can work in federal, state, or local government. There are emergency managers working for private companies as well. In both cases, they help prepare their organization for dealing with these kinds of catastrophes. They develop the procedures for how their organization will respond during a crisis, and help lead the response while it is going on. And they continue to help with the cleanup and results after the event has concluded.

Photo by Dawn Armfield on Unsplash

Another career for which an A.S. in Emergency Management can be useful is as a police, fire, and ambulance dispatcher. These are the individuals who handle reports via the telephone, computer, or radio, about crimes and medical and police emergencies. They give instructions to the reporter, and are the ones to send the information to the appropriate emergency organization.

If you are interested in this field, or already taking classes on your way toward your degree, the library has prepared a LibGuide to help you with your research in the area. This includes suggestions for terms to search in the catalog, useful books and databases for research in this area, info on free resources, official agencies and associations that you might be interested in, and career information.

Photo by Marc Szeglat on Unsplash

The Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Reference Center is a new resource to the ACC library. This database offers full-text articles about topics such as risk evaluation, emergency preparedness and crisis communications.

You can check out the award path for the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Emergency Management here.

Library Resources for Careers and Employment

Looking for information on careers and employment? ACC Library Services has

many resources to help you explore information on a specific career path, general job searching, résumé building, interview skills, and so much more!

Try searching these databases for information on careers and employment.

More info about them is listed below:

Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center

This resource contains industry and professional articles, school planning

resources, and skills and career advice. Take a look at our recent Spotlight On post about Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center to learn more about the database!

LearningExpress Library Plus

This resource includes tutorials and e-books to help with job preparation, career

advancement, and college readiness, as well as practice tests for the TOEFL,

MCAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT, GRE, and AP tests. It also includes Computer Skills,

Job & Career Accelerator, and Adult Learning centers.

*This product (not ACC) requires that you register for a free account before accessing.

Testing and Education Reference Center

This resource includes over 300 practice tests, including NCLEX, GED, TOEFL,

TAKS, ACT, SAT, and CLEP, plus career and college prep tools.

Vocational and Career Collection

This resource includes full text of articles from 400 trade and technical periodicals,

as well as articles from trade and industry magazines and journals.

Additional resources!

Career Info Guide - This online guide contains links to online resources to help

you with job searching, résumé building, interview skills, and books and articles

specific to career information.

Career Book Collection - This featured group of books is part of a special

collection ACC Library Services added in 2016. It includes books on networking,

leadership, college and career success, plus so much more!

              

There's a multitude of information and resources available to you about careers

and employment. Let ACC Library Services help you find it!