Since 2024, the Southern District of Florida has celebrated Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). The national effort to have a Jewish American Heritage Month began in South Florida. In 2005, two tremendous leaders in Miami - Marcia Zeriwitz from the Jewish Museum of Florida and Judy Gilbert Gould from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation approached Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to sponsor a resolution that would create a month during which we honor the rich history and contributions of American Jews. A resolution was unanimously passed by Congress and each May we celebrate the extraordinary contributions Jewish Americans have made and continue to make to our country.
2026 Program:
The 2026 JAHM program topic was The Jewish American Experience: Confronting Antisemitism. We were honored to have two leaders who have been actively engaged in efforts to confront antisemitism and how institutions should properly respond.
Alyza Lewin is a leading advocate in the fight against antisemitism and President of U.S. Affairs for the Combat Antisemitism Movement. Her advocacy has been instrumental in shaping legal strategies to protect students and communities from discrimination. Dr. Keren Yarhi-Milo is an expert in international security and foreign policy decision-making and Dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Both women shared lessons learned and what has been done to balance academic freedom and student safety. The panel was moderated by United States District Judge David Leibowitz, another tremendous Jewish leader, and the program could not have been more timely.
The Anti-Defamation League reported nearly 9500 antisemitic incidents across the US last year. In the past year, we witnessed two Israeli embassy members shot and killed outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, Jewish demonstrators attacked in Boulder, Colorado with Molotov cocktails and gasoline, killing one person and severely injuring 13; a driver rammed his vehicle into a Michigan Synagogue, targeting the Jewish preschool; in New York, we have seen repeated targeting of Jewish synagogues, homes, and Jewish sites defaced with swastikas and Pro-Hitler graffiti, the attack on the Chabad Headquarters, and the list, sadly, goes on. 2025 was the deadliest year for antisemitic attacks globally in decades. And there remains vicious threats and violence of Jewish students and, of late, funding stripped for Jewish student organizations and now institutional discrimination.
The Committee presented the JAHM Inaugural Jewish Strength Award to two outstanding Jewish leaders, Irma and Norman Braman. They are South Florida legends who have given so much through their involvement, leadership, and supporting all aspects of Jewish life here in South Florida and around the world: from supplying meals to Holocaust survivors; from supporting the Jewish arts, youth and adult education, cultural programming, funding youth trips to Israel through Birthright, and fighting worldwide antisemitism. So many contributions to list, and their lives, which are filled with giving, are a blessing to the Jewish people and to the State of Israel. The event was attended by over 350 people and followed by a reception. To view the video, click here: 2026 Jewish American Heritage Month Celebration 
2025 Program:
The 2025 JAHM program topic was The Resilience of the Jewish People and featured Dan Senor and Judge Roy Altman in conversation. Mr. Senor’s podcast, Call Me Back, and his many articles and powerful books, have informed and inspired many about Israel’s history and strength – its security, its technological advancements, the health of its society, and the Jewish resilience - the ability to survive and thrive despite immense adversity and persecution throughout history, especially after October 7. Judge Altman has been on a mission to educate and has used his intellect and passion to educate students across the country about Israel’s history, the Jewish people, and the danger of antisemitism. He led the first-ever Judicial Education Mission to Israel in 2024, and the second Mission in March 2025. Eighteen federal judges from across the country, Jews and non-Jews, embarked on a powerful 5-day educational mission, gaining a unique insight into the geopolitics of the Middle East, the U.S.- Israel relationship, and the rule of law, bearing witness to the atrocities from the October 7 massacre. A World Jewish Congress video can be found here: 2025 WJC Judges Mission to Israel
2024 Program:
The 2024 JAHM program topic was Our Journey to Israel: Seeing It Through Our Eyes. The program featured three federal judges who shared their experiences from a recent Judges Education Mission to Israel: Circuit Judge Robert Luck, District Judge Roy Altman, and District Judge Bob Scola.
Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Robert Gilbert, Judy Gilbert Gould’s son and a JAHM committee member, and film producer, Jerry Levine, the film, South Florida’s Legal Legacy: A Film Celebrating the Roots and Meaning of Jewish American Heritage Month, was created. You can access that film here: South Florida's Legal Legacy
The Southern District of Florida hosts other heritage months that celebrate the various communities that form the mosaic of our country, including Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. By celebrating heritage months, we learn about one another, we honor the richness of our diverse nation and district, and we strengthen the fabric of American society. Since the first Jews came to America, Jewish Americans have given to their communities and tohis nation as loyal and patriotic citizens, grateful for the safe harbor that America provided for them. Jewish Americans have served in law, in government and the military, have won Nobel prizes, headed universities and corporations, advanced medicine, created and performed in enduring works of performing and visual art, written great American novels, and have become emblems of justice as members of the Supreme Court, and every other level of our courts. Most importantly, American Jews have always pushed America to live up to its promise as a nation to uphold freedom and justice for all.
We invite you to join us for future JAHM programs and we thank our committee for their leadership and dedication.
The FBA program, Judicial Reform in Israel: A Judge's Perspective can be viewed here.
By: U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom, Chairperson