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The Las Vegas City Council and Mayor Carolyn Goodman officially recognized May as Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) at a City Hall proclamation ceremony on Wednesday.
The event was attended by local Jewish community leaders, and Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Chief Government Affairs Officer Lisa Katz delivered remarks in a video message.
Councilwoman Victoria Seaman — who was a keynote speaker at CAM’s 2023 North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism last November — tweeted, “Thank you to all the guests and Jewish Community Leaders who joined us for the City of Las Vegas proclamation ceremony declaring May as Jewish American Heritage Month! It was an honor to recognize the invaluable contributions our Jewish community has made to Las Vegas.”
Thank you to all the guests and Jewish Community Leaders who joined us for the City of Las Vegas proclamation ceremony declaring May as Jewish American Heritage Month! It was an honor to recognize the invaluable contributions our Jewish community has made to Las Vegas.… pic.twitter.com/OKc0x8cBjP
— Councilwoman Victoria Seaman (@VictoriaDseaman) May 2, 2024
In her remarks, Katz thanked the City Council for the JAHM proclamation, noting its significance amid the global surge of antisemitism triggered by the October 7th massacre in Israel.
“This meaningful gesture and the event that you put on tonight not only acknowledges the invaluable contributions of Jewish Americans to our nation but also serves as a powerful statement against hate and discrimination,” Katz said. “By officially recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month, you have clearly demonstrated your commitment to celebrating diversity and demanding mutual respect for all of your residents.”
She added, “They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I hope your adoption of Jewish American heritage month is the exception because I am confident that this proclamation will inspire meaningful dialogue, promote understanding, and contribute to building a more compassionate society.”
Earlier this year, the Las Vegas City Council adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, committing to its use an educational tool for municipal agencies, including law enforcement.
The council was the 91st U.S. municipal body to adopt the definition.
“Today, the Las Vegas City Council passed my resolution recognizing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism as a powerful statement against hatred, showing solidarity with the Jewish community and a commitment to fighting antisemitism,” Councilwoman Seaman said at the time. “The timing on the four-month anniversary of the Oct. 7th attack on Israel adds significance to this important act and makes it clear that we will not tolerate bigotry in our city.”
In 2006, Congress passed a bipartisan resolution urging “the President to issue each year a proclamation calling on state and local governments and the people of the United States to observe an American Jewish History Month.”
Shortly thereafter, then-President George W. Bush declared May as Jewish American Heritage Month.
Since then, successive presidents from both parties have all released annual proclamations emphasizing the integral and unique role Jewish Americans have played in the great American story over the past three and a half centuries.
Local governments — at the state, county, and municipal levels — have begun to follow suit, recognizing JAHM and implementing relevant programs, ceremonies, and activities, and CAM has made a concerted nationwide push to get more to do so in recent years.
In 2023, CAM assisted in JAHM proclamations in more than 70 cities and several dozen more states, including Virginia, Oklahoma, New York City, Richmond, Palm Springs, Palm Beach County, Wichita, Rockford, and Highland Park, among others.
In total, 135 city mayors and 38 state governors recognized JAHM last May, and that number is expected to rise this year, with CAM’s continued involvment.
