It is Jewish American Heritage Month and I get agitated every time I hear this term. It’s inception was declared by President Bush in 2006 (which was predicated by a Jewish Heritage Week since 1980).
I remember the first time I heard the following question debated: Are we American Jews or Jewish Americans? I was in youth group, sitting on the floor of some random synagogue at a regional convention. At first I didn’t even understand the question because the choices given appeared the same. And the more we delved into the ordering of the two key words: AMERICAN and JEW, my journalism/English background kicked in … ah! It’s about a pre-modifying adjective of the noun.
Does American describe the kind of Jew that I am? Or does Jew describe the kind of American I am. It will come as a shock to no one that I walked away firm in my identification as an American Jew.
Each time I revisit this concept, my identity as an American Jew is reconfirmed. I choose my views on political platform issues (and therefore candidates) via a Jewish lens. I treat people, the earth and animals according to my Jewish values. I choose my philanthropic giving based on an organization’s alignment with Jewish wisdom (ancient and contemporary.) I live my life as an American in a specific way because I am Jewish — for example choosing to live in communities where Jewish life exists.
Fast forward to the first time I facilitated learning on this and asked teens to consider this conundrum. I remember one teen framed it for himself (without being asked in this specific way): “Well, I guess if it came down to Israel in a war with America, I would choose Israel … and so I am Jewish as the noun and American as the adjective.” At the time, probably mid 1990’s, no one in the room pushed back on this person for aligning Zionsim (and therefore assumed allegiance to Israel) as a central aspect of one’s Jewish identity. [Looking back on this declaration is jaw dropping when so many folks today are working hard to uncouple Zionism and Judaism.]
The events of the last few months, have reinforced the idea that we are Jews first in the eyes of many others. American Jews are being attacked verbally and physically in the streets, on college campuses, on media and social media, in our workplaces, and in our neighborhoods. We are told to “go back to where we came from” (although ironically, folks can’t seem to agree on where that is exactly!) and that we have solo allegiances to Israel and can’t be trusted as Americans.
So, if recent history has any collective impact on us moving forward, it’s likely going to be in this identity nomenclature.
JewishGPS 
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