The Jewish American Heritage Month celebration coincided with the last week of spring semester classes. (USC Photo/Kristopher Head)
Trojans gather for USC’s Jewish American Heritage Month celebration
Attendees enjoy speakers, music and food at event held in Hahn Central Plaza on the University Park Campus.
USC held its first-ever Jewish American Heritage Month celebration on Wednesday during the final week of spring classes.
The event in Hahn Central Plaza on USC’s University Park Campus included remarks from USC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew T. Guzman, who emphasized the importance of “respect and empathy and support for one another.”
“Today is fundamentally about community, about making space for conversation, for learning, for reflection,” Guzman said.
President George W. Bush established Jewish American Heritage Month in 2006 to celebrate the history, culture and contributions of Jewish Americans to the United States.
“Our communities are strongest when we learn from one another, honor each other’s stories and work together to build a world more humane than the one we inherit,” said event emcee Rabbi Joshua Garroway, a professor of Judeo-Christian studies at the nearby Hebrew Union College, with which USC has shared an extensive academic partnership for decades.
USC Thornton School of Music students Jaden Lehman and Max Garson performed an original instrumental song as attendees stood in line for a lunch that included falafel, hummus and pita.
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences senior Max Rubenstein, the main force behind the event, was among those in the crowd of approximately 75 people.
“I’m excited that we’re here and have acknowledgment of our culture and our community,” said Rubenstein, the Jewish community advocacy liaison for the USC Undergraduate Student Government. “That is really powerful for myself and for so many other Jewish students, whether they attended this event or not.”
