By Donald H. Harrison

A Democratic congresswoman from Florida and a Republican senator from Pennsylvania—both members of the Jewish community—are spearheading efforts to have U.S. President George W. Bush create a national "Jewish History Month" that would be on a par with the 30-year-old  "Black History Month" program with all its attendant celebrations and school study programs.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was successful last December in winning unanimous support from the House of Representatives for the idea.  Senator Arlen Specter has yet to bring the matter to a vote by  the U.S. Senate.  Meanwhile, the two legislators have been in discussion with White House representatives who seem generally disposed toward the idea, according to Wasserman Schultz's  press secretary Jonathan Beeton.

Beeton said whereas Wasserman Schultz initially had proposed January for Jewish history month, now "several different months are being bandied about" in the discussions with the White House.  Florida, home state of the President's brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, has been celebrating Jewish History Month in January since 2003.  But April and September also are possibilities, according to Beeton.

Chris Belland , one of the founders of Historic Tours of America—which operates the Old Town Trolley Tours and other attractions in  Key West and St. Augustine, Fla.; Savannah, Ga.; Washington, D.C.; Boston and San Diego—forwarded to jewishsightseeing.com a copy of the January 30 edition of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in which Schultz's efforts were trumpeted in an article by William E. Gibson.

The newspaper also offered its readers a pop quiz on Florida's Jewish history to see if they knew, among other things,  that Florida's first Jewish settlers arrived in 1763, that David Levy Yulee was the first U.S. senator from Florida as well as the first Jew to sit in  the U.S. Senate, and that today almost 850,000 Jews live in Florida.

The Jewish Museum of Florida was the source of other historical tidbits including the fact that Temple Beth-El in Pensacola was Florida's first Jewish congregation; that individual Florida Jews had opposing opinions on the pre-Civil War slavery question,  that Levy County and Ft. Myers, Florida, both were named after prominent Jews, and that a Jewish governor of Florida—David Sholtz—was riding in a car in Miami  with President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt and Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak when an attempt on Roosevelt's life resulted in Cermak being fatally wounded.

In a Dec. 22, 2005,  news release, Wasserman Schultz and Specter made public a letter they had sent to President Bush, which said in part:

"American Jewish History Month would allow local communities to celebrate the legacy of the American Jewish experience and the rich cultural heritage of American Jewish communities.  Similar to Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March, American Jewish History Month would present educators with the opportunity and tools to teach diversity and cultural awareness.

"As the United States continuously strives to promote understanding of our many ethnicities and cultures, we believe education and public awareness is necessary to combat ignorance and misunderstanding.  American Jewish History Month would educate millions of Americans about the rich heritage and traditions of the Jewish people, whose contributions to medicine, the arts, science, and technology have shaped the fabric of American society and global history."

The article in the Sun-Sentinel quoted White House spokesman Blair Jones as responding, "The president realizes the importance of recognizing Jewish contributions to this nation." The newspaper reported that the White House planned to meet with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Wasserman Schultz and Specter, to consider various issues, including what month would be most appropriate.