May 27 Equity & Inclusion Corner 

We hope our Bahá’í community has a meaningful Ascension of Baha'u'llah.

May 30 is Memorial Day, which celebrates and gives thanks to all who have died in the United States armed forces. We appreciate your sacrifice and service. 

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Our June 10th Equity and Inclusion Corner will feature information about events and opportunities for learning. 

Happy Pentecost/Whitsunday to our Christian community.

June 5th is World Environment Day. Learn more at the United Nations World Environment Day website.  

Happy Shavuot to our Jewish community. 

On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month in celebration of the 350th Anniversary of American Jewish History. This May, more than 120 organizations around the U.S. have joined together to help Americans of all backgrounds discover, explore, and celebrate the vibrant and varied American Jewish experience from the dawn of our nation to the present day. 

Take a look at the resources below celebrating Jewish American heritage this month and throughout the year.

Reading books is a great opening to talk about identity, diversity, bias, and social justice. ADL’s collection includes excellent picture, chapter, and young adult books. Monthly featured books come with discussion guides for teachers and families.

These lists, created by American Jewish Libraries, are meant to be shared with ALL readers, including non-Jewish children and teens. AJL believes that meeting Jews on the page will inspire friendship when readers meet Jews in real life.

In addition to the K-8 books above, two additional books for teachers and high school students explore issues of identity, race, ethnicity, and antisemitism.

Baddiel is a comedian best known in the U.K. He is the author of many young adult books. His book takes a serious turn as an examination of the present condition of Jews in Europe and the United States facing rising antisemitic violence and yet sensing that the world is paying little attention to this kind of hatred.

Horn's book, written from the perspective of a literature teacher and celebrated young author, exposes the gap between the fascination and focus on Jews killed in the Holocaust with the failure to recognize the vibrancy of Jewish life in the present day. Her chapters on the intended lessons of Holocaust and genocide education can make for a great discussion.

We have had a special week of events at the high school in honor of Carson Bride. See below for images from our Lines for Life Assembly, Tree Dedication & Remembrance Ceremony, and Lines for Life Student Auction.

Thank you to so many of you who have already contributed to our silent auction! We have extended the online auction by another week as donations keep coming in! New items are being added almost daily.

If you would like to simply donate without purchasing any items, you also have the option to do that on our silent auction website.

Check out the items and bid away at: Carson’s Kindness Matters Auction

Winners will be emailed and will have the opportunity to pick up their items between Monday, June 6th and Friday, June 10th at Riverdale High School.

- Abby Rotwein (she/her), Director of Equity & Inclusion