Instructions

Pioneer Story Time:
Read a simple story about Jewish American pioneers such as Levi Strauss, the inventor of blue jeans, or Emma Lazarus, who wrote the poem on the Statue of Liberty.

Pioneer Hats Craft:
Have children create pioneer hats using brown construction paper. As they make their hats, talk about how pioneers worked hard to help build the country.

Materials

Markers

Construction paper

Stickers/embellishments

Glue

    • Gertrude Elion – A Nobel Prize-winning pharmacologist who helped develop groundbreaking drugs, including treatments for leukemia and organ transplants.

    • Albert Einstein – A physicist who revolutionized science with his theory of relativity and advocated for peace and civil rights.

    • Gloria Steinem – A journalist and activist who co-founded Ms. Magazine and became a leading voice in the feminist movement.

    • Elizabeth Taylor – A legendary actress and philanthropist known for her activism in AIDS research and close ties to Jewish causes.

    • Mark Rothko – A painter famous for his abstract color field paintings that transformed modern art.

    • Stan Lee – The creator of Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man and the X-Men, whose comics explored themes of justice and diversity.

    • Elie Wiesel – A Holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate, and author of Night, who dedicated his life to human rights advocacy.

    • Ruth Bader Ginsburg – A Supreme Court Justice who championed gender equality and civil rights throughout her career.

    • Irving Berlin – A composer and lyricist who wrote American classics like "God Bless America" and "White Christmas."

    • Judy Blume – A beloved author whose books, including Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, tackled adolescence and taboo topics.

    • Louis Brandeis – The first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, known for his progressive views on privacy, labor rights, and free speech.

    • Betty Friedan – A feminist activist and author of The Feminine Mystique, which helped ignite the second-wave feminist movement.

    • Emma Lazarus – A poet best known for “The New Colossus,” whose words are inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.

    • Lillian Wald – A nurse and social reformer who founded the Henry Street Settlement and pioneered public health nursing.

    • Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel – A theologian and civil rights leader who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and advocated for social justice.

    • Deborah Lipstadt – A historian and Holocaust scholar who famously won a libel case against Holocaust denier David Irving.

    • Levi Strauss – A businessman and philanthropist who founded Levi’s, creating the first blue jeans.

    • Hannah Arendt – A political philosopher best known for The Origins of Totalitarianism and Eichmann in Jerusalem, where she coined “the banality of evil.”

    • Barbra Streisand – A legendary singer, actress, and filmmaker who broke barriers for women in entertainment.

    • Judith Resnik – A pioneering astronaut who tragically perished in the Challenger disaster.

    • Steven Spielberg – A filmmaker behind classics like Schindler’s List and E.T., known for shaping modern cinema.

    • Julius Rosenwald – A philanthropist who funded schools for Black children in the segregated South.

    • Rose Schneiderman – A labor activist who fought for women's workplace rights and helped push for fire safety laws after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

    • Haym Salomon – A financier of the American Revolution who helped fund the Continental Army.

    • Jonas Salk – A virologist who developed the first effective polio vaccine, saving millions of lives.

    • Aly Raisman – An Olympic gymnast who won multiple gold medals and became an advocate for survivors of abuse.

    • Will Eisner – A comic book artist and writer known for The Spirit and pioneering the modern graphic novel.

    • Sandy Koufax – A Hall of Fame pitcher who famously sat out a World Series game on Yom Kippur and is considered one of baseball’s greatest players.

  • Add a short summary or a list of helpful resources here.