By Mackenzie Manley, Content Specialist, Downtown Main Library
Celebrate the inspiring history and vibrant living culture of Jewish Americans this May by learning about featured Jewish Americans with Cincinnati ties, reading staff-recommended books, and more.
Established in 2006 by former President George W. Bush, this month-long recognition honors the significant contributions of Jewish Americans to United States’ culture, history, and society.
Celebrating Impactful Jewish Americans
Lillian Wald was a nurse, humanitarian, and author born in 1867 to German-Jewish parents in Cincinnati. In 1878, the family moved from Cincinnati to Rochester, New York.
Wald saw her upbringing as one of privilege. After receiving education at the Miss Cruttenden’s English/French Boarding and Day School, Wald later enrolled at the New York Hospital Training School. Upon graduating in 1891, she worked at an orphanage. During that time, she also helped teach classes about how to provide nursing for poor immigrant families living on New York City’s Lower East Side: a diverse neighborhood that, at the time, had a large population of Jewish immigrants. After witnessing the poverty experienced by immigrants on the Lower East Side, Wald founded the Henry Street Settlement in 1893 and coined the term “public health nurse.”
Wald moved into the neighborhood and offered care to residents for free or reduced cost through the Henry Street Settlement and Visiting Nursing Service, which she also founded with the help of friend Mary Brewster. Not only did Wald bring medical care to the neighborhood, but she was also an advocate for nursing in public schools. Wald even helped pay the salary of New York City’s first public school nurses. She continued to grow the Henry Street Settlement, which still exists today!
Along with the settlement, Wald was involved in the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the United Sates Children’s Bureau, the National Child Labor Committee, and the National Women’s Trade Union League.
Murray Seasongood was the founder of the City Charter Committee and the 36th mayor of Cincinnati. Born in 1878, Seasongood was a student at Woodward High School and Edgeborough School in Guildford, England, before attending and graduating from Harvard Law School. He returned to Cincinnati to practice law in 1904; during his extensive career, Seasongood received six honorary degrees.
Considered the father of the Hamilton County Parks, he served as Mayor from 1926 to 1930. During his tenure, Seasongood ushered in the city’s charter form of government. Following his time as mayor, he became a Harvard University law professor; he also taught law at the University of Cincinnati for over 30 years.
He died at the age of 104, leaving behind what his obituary in The New York Times described as “an indelible mark on Cincinnati.”
Steven Spielberg is a Cincinnati-born filmmaker who is the pioneer of the modern blockbuster. His work is not only widely regarded as some of the best in history, but also some of the highest-grossest films ever. His extensive filmography includes Jaws, CloseEncounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and the original Indiana Jones trilogy.
Spielberg has received an array of accolades, including three Academy Award wins for Schindler's List (Best Picture and Best Director) and Saving Private Ryan (Best Director). He has received 317 total nominations across various organizations and 155 wins during his career.
Spielberg’s mother, Leah, ran a kosher dairy restaurant and was a concert pianist while his father, Arnold, worked as an electrical engineer. Spielberg’s family were Reform and Orthodox Jewish.
Visit the Holocaust & Humanity Center with Discovery Pass
Experience stories of courage, perseverance, loss, redemption, and new life, from local Holocaust survivors. You can visit The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center for free with the Library's Discovery Pass!
To get a Discovery Pass, log in with your Library card credentials and select the Holocaust & Humanity Center. Make your reservation and print or download your pass before your visit.
Recommended Reading and Viewing
Take in Jewish American stories and history with books and movies recommended by CHPL’s librarians.
From Hollywood’s earliest films and studios to today’s newest blockbusters, Jewish American Filmmakers have directed, written, and produced stories and scenes that still resonant with modern viewers.
More Recommendations for Adults:
More Recommendations for Kids:
How are you celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month? Share in the comments below!
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