Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Feature by: Adam Kirtley, Interfaith Chaplain

Last week, Kehillat Shalom hosted its annual Passover Seder, with over 80 (Jewish and non-Jewish) students in attendance. Today marks the beginning of Jewish American Heritage Month, an invitation to consider the history, complexity and many expressions of American Judaism. In recognition of the occasion, what follows is a brief narrative of some of the earliest Jewish communities in the United States, Walla Walla and Whitman college. 

The story of the earliest Jews arriving on the land that would eventually be called the United States is one of persecution and oppression. Its origins are found in the Spanish Inquisition, where Jews living in Spain and Portugal were expelled from their countries, and some of their descendants eventually established communities in Dutch-ruled Brazil. Then in 1654, Portugal recaptured Brazil and once again exiled its Jewish inhabitants. Most returned to Europe, but a notable group of twenty-three refugees made their way to New Amsterdam (a decade later renamed New York). In the years that followed, the Jewish community grew as did their fight for rights and political participation in the burgeoning American colonies. According to a Library of Congress Exhibition (“From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America”), early Jewish life in America was rooted in the promise of religious freedom. “George Washington’s declaration in 1790 to the Newport Hebrew Congregation that this nation gives ‘to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance’ provided the Jewish community with an early assurance of America’s suitability as a haven.” 

The Jewish American presence in Walla Walla can be traced back to the 1860s, right about the time when the city was officially incorporated. According to an article written on the subject by Michael J. Paulus Jr., a Jewish merchant named Jacques Bauer arrived in town in 1860 and set up a tobacco shop on Main Street. Soon after, he married Portland-born Julia Heymann and they went on to have seven children—thought to be the first Jewish children born in Walla Walla.

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Whitman College is currently hiring for the following staff positions:

Please join us in welcoming the following new Whitman employees who started in April:

The Division of Inclusive Excellence will host a webinar on “Strategies To Foster Safety, Inclusion and a Sense of Belonging for Jewish Students” on Wednesday, May 1 at 11 a.m. in Olin 129 (RSVP). The webinar, led by Farzana Nayani, a recognized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion specialist, will consider reports of increased antisemitism on college campuses and offer guidance for how to enhance the educational environment for all students.

Graduating seniors, please check your inbox for an email from whitmancollege@hedsconsortium.org which contains an important survey link. (Flyer attached.) Your feedback is important to Whitman College. All graduates who complete the survey are invited to pick up a complimentary Whitman College luggage tag at the Blues Brunch on Wednesday, May 15.

The Intercultural Center invites the Whitman community to an Asian Night Market event on Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. on the Reid Campus Center side lawn. (Flyer attached.) May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Learn more on the Inclusive Excellence website.

“Shoebox,” a senior thesis art exhibition, is currently on display in Sheehan Gallery through Sunday, May 19. 

11 a.m.

Webinar: Strategies To Foster Safety, Inclusion and a Sense of Belonging for Jewish Students

Olin Hall, Room 129 or Online (RSVP)

Noon–1 p.m.

Deutscher Tisch (German Language Table)

Cleveland Commons

12:10–12:50 p.m.

Movement That Matters: Stretch & Strength

Sherwood Athletic Center

1–5 p.m.

Thesis Support Time

Penrose Library

3–5 p.m.

Off-Campus Studies Open Office Hours

Memorial Building, Room 205

4–5:30 p.m.

Spring Arts & Crafts Fair

Reid Campus Center, Young Ballroom

4 p.m.

Student Recital Workshop

Hall of Music, Chism Recital Hall

4:30 p.m.

Z-Fit!

Reid Side Lawn or Sherwood 114 (weather dependent)

6 p.m.

“Sweeter Than Onions” Exhibit Reception and Presentation

Reid Campus Center, Room G02

8–10 p.m.

Open Kayak

Harvey Pool

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“Whitman Today” is produced by the Office of Communications and is emailed Monday through Friday to Whitman College staff, faculty and students.

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