Mayor Wilson proclaims May to be Jewish American Heritage Month (2026)

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In accordance with this acknowledgement, we recognize:

Whereas, the Jewish people have helped shape American history, culture, and society, including in Portland; and

Whereas, Jewish communities have a long and enduring presence in Portland, with Jewish immigrants entering Oregon in the 1840s, first arriving from Central Europe, followed by Eastern European and Sephardic Jews, later including refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe in the 1930s, and more recently, immigrants from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s; and

Whereas, Jewish Portlanders have made significant contributions to civic and economic life, such as Aaron Meier and Emil and Sigmund Frank, who founded Meier & Frank in 1873, becoming one of the most successful department store chains in the country; and

Whereas, the Portland Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women founded Neighborhood House in 1897, providing essential services to generations of immigrants, especially women and children; and

Whereas, Jewish Americans have made profound cultural contributions, including: Emma Lazarus, author of "The New Colossus," a sonnet written for the Statute of Liberty; Irving Berlin, composer of "God Bless America"; Portlander Mel Blanc, famous Looney Tunes voice actor and "Man of a Thousand Voices," who attended Lincoln High School and took violin lessons at Neighborhood House; and renowned painter Mark Rothko, who immigrated to Portland from Latvia, and whose legacy lives on at the Portland Art Museum's Mark Rothko Pavillion; and

Whereas, Jewish Portlanders have contributed significantly to public service and civic life, like Judge Gus J. Solomon, a champion of civil liberties; Harry Glickman, a founder of the Portland Trail Blazers; and Vera Katz, Portland's 49th mayor and the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, whose leadership during the 1996 flood response drew national attention; and

Whereas, the history of Jewish Portland holds both achievement and hardship, including the destruction and displacement of vibrant Jewish neighborhoods in South Portland during 1950s urban renewal, which uprooted fami lies, businesses, and cultural institutions; and

Whereas, the Holocaust resulted in the murder of six million Jews, and Portland remains home to 100 survivors whose experiences remind us of the importance ofremembrance and vigilance; and

Whereas, American Jews played a vital role in advancing civil rights, participating in Mississippi Freedom Summer and volunteering to help register Black voters; Jewish activists Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, alongside Black activist James Chaney, were arrested and murdered by a group of Klansmen during Mississippi Freedom Summer; and 17 rabbis were arrested alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others; and

Whereas, today, there are more than 56,600 Jewish individuals across 31,100 Jewish households in Portland; and

Whereas, we must recognize Jewish diversity, including Jews of color and Mizrahim, and acknowledge both the contributions of, and the challenges facing Jewish communities, and the need to stand against antisemitism in all forms.

Now, therefore, I, Keith Wilson, Mayor of the City of Portland, Oregon, the "City of Roses," do hereby proclaim May 2026 to be Jewish American Heritage Month in Portland and encourage all to celebrate.