Prior Months
May - Jewish American Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Local History
In 1891, Baron Hirsch supported the settlement of Jewish farmers in CT. Many of the 5000 families settled in Eastern CT (Ellington, Somers, Vernon etc.). To read more about this click here.
In 1913, the Congregation Knesseth Israel synagogue was built and was originally located at the corner of Middle Road and Abbott Rd. In 1954, the building was moved to its current location on Pinney St. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Jewish Community of Ellington, CT
More resources
Jewish Holidays and Celebrations
Jewish American Heritage Month
National Museum of American Jewish History
White House Proclamation on Jewish American Heritage Month (2021)
Being Jewish in the United States
Fighting Antisemitism and Hate
May - Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Resources
What I hear when you say What Are You?
Eleven Artists on What it Means to Be Asian American
Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Unsung Heroes: A Symposium on the Heroism of Asian Pacific Americans During World War II Part 1 Part 2
Books
For Adults
Go Home! (Asian diasporic writers—including Alexander Chee, Gaiutra Bahadur, Mia Alvar, Chang-Rae Lee, and more—meditate on the meaning of “home” through short stories, essays, and poetry in this timely, well-curated collection.)
The Good Immigrant (Emulating the original UK text, this new edition features writing by first- and second-generation immigrant authors as they reflect on America in the wake of the 2016 election. Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) voices shine throughout this compelling collection.)
Five Books by Asian American Authors to Add to Your Reading List:
-Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manansala
-First Comes Like by Alisha Rai
-If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
-We Are Not Free by Traci Cee
-Things We Lost To The Water by Eric Nguyen
For Children
When Lola Visits
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners
Paper Son
Hair Twins
My Tree
I Dream of Popo
Ten Little Dumplings
It Began With a Page
Leila in Saffron
Drawn Together
Laxmi's Mooch
Virtual Conversations
The Future of Asian Food in America (May 19th)
Asian Food Beyond Misnomers and Myths (June 9th)
Quotes
"To fly we have to have resistance" . (Maya Lin)
"To me, the American Dream is being able to follow your own personal calling. To be able to do what you want to do is incredible freedom". (Maya Lin)