Celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month
Dear DU community,
The 黑料门鈥檚 diverse community is one of the many aspects that help our institution flourish and create positive impact all over the world. As we come to the end of May, we want to recognize and celebrate Jewish American Heritage month鈥攗plifting the past and present contributions of Jewish Americans.
The successes and contributions of Jewish Americans are immense. As we find ourselves grateful for the work of virologists responsible for many COVID-19 vaccines, we should also thank Jonas Salk who dedicated his life to eradicating polio with the creation of the polio vaccine. We celebrate the brilliant legal mind of Jewish American Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who advanced civil rights for women and countless others. When we need to get lost in a story and have a good laugh, we are grateful for the artistry of comedian, actress and author Tiffany Haddish. When we think about LGBTQ+ rights, we think of youth activist, Jazz Jennings, who paved a path for transgender youth around the world. And we are proud to celebrate Jason Zucker, professional ice hockey winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League and DU athlete from 2010-11.
As we uplift Jewish communities for Jewish American Heritage Month, we must also note the world鈥檚 historical and, unfortunately, continued antisemitism. Yet, despite centuries of marginalization, Jewish Americans have persevered. We acknowledge the Jewish community鈥檚 challenges while at the same time celebrating the Jewish community鈥檚 successes. Creating space for understanding, empathy and healing is essential to our cultural fabric. And standing up against oppression and creating inclusive spaces is paramount to our values.
We hope you can join the Heritage Months Initiative in partnership with Community + Values for a Jewish American Heritage Month event from 11 a.m.-noon on Thursday, May 27. The event, Sustaining Heritage: Jewish American Storytelling & Reflections, will feature DU faculty and alumni as they share their stories and reflect on being Jewish in the United States, including topics such as community, resilience and tradition. Jewish Americans are an invaluable part of our community, and we are grateful for their ongoing contributions to DU and our nation.
In solidarity,
Jeremy Haefner, chancellor
Mary Clark, provost and executive vice chancellor
Todd Adams, vice chancellor of student affairs
Leslie Brunelli, senior vice chancellor for business and financial affairs
Paul Chan, vice chancellor for legal affairs and general counsel
Vivek Choudhury, dean, Daniels College of Business
Karlton Creech, vice chancellor for athletics, recreation and Ritchie Center operations
Andrei Kutateladze, dean, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Michael Levine-Clark, dean, University Libraries
Jerron Lowe, interim vice chancellor for human resources
Fritz Mayer, dean, Josef Korbel School of International Studies
Amanda McBride, dean, Graduate School of Social Work
Michael McGuire, dean, University College
Daniel McIntosh, dean, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Renea Morris, vice chancellor for marketing and communications
Nancy Nicely, senior vice chancellor and chief of staff
Stephanie O鈥橫alley, associate vice chancellor for government and community relations
Valerie Otten, vice chancellor for university advancement
Sarah Pessin, interfaith chair, and professor of philosophy and Jewish thought, Center for Judaic Studies and Department of Philosophy
Todd Rinehart, vice chancellor for enrollment
Adam Rovner, director,听Center for Judaic Studies
Michelle Sabick, dean, Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science
Bruce Smith, dean, Sturm College of Law
Shelly Smith-Acu帽a, dean, Graduate School of Professional Psychology
Gary Starling, interim vice chancellor and chief information technology officer
Bruce Uhrmacher, interim dean, Morgridge College of Education
Christopher Whitt, vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion
听