Celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month
We celebrated with a guest speaker who spoke about anti-Semitism and becoming an ally, and we made a donation to our local Jewish Community Center.
What is Jewish American Heritage Month?
Jewish American Heritage Month was originally declared by President George W. Bush in 2006 resulting from the efforts of the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish community leaders. According to Brandeis University, an estimated 7.5 million Americans identify as Jewish.
There have been many great Jewish contributions in the biopharma industry, including the work of Otto Loewi and Joshua Lederberg. However, Jewish American Heritage month recognizes more than just the work of Jewish American professionals who have been ignored historically. This month, we take the time to highlight all Jewish American contributions to society past and present and to refocus the conversation we have with each other – including what it means to be an ally in a time of American history where ally-ship is more important than ever.
Hosting a Guest Speaker at HPNE
At High Purity New England, we believe a critical pillar to the foundation of a welcoming company culture is to create a well informed and empathetic environment.
To do so, in addition to recognizing the contributions of Jewish Americans to our culture and industries, we believe it is also important to discuss the current climate of anti-semitism in America, and how we can all become a Jewish ally.
To further that foundation, we welcomed Stephanie-Hague from the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island to discuss these topics with our employees. During the presentation, employees learned more about the Jewish community locally and globally, and ways to be supportive and accepting of those communities. Stephanie also talked about what it means to be an ally and why visibility matters more than ever. She provided tips and strategies to help our employees to identify situations where they find others facing inequality or prejudice so that they can speak up.
As well as hosting a guest speaker. HPNE was proud to be able to support Jewish Americans in our surrounding communities by presenting a donation of $5,000 at the event. CEO of High Purity New England Mark Sitcoske noted after the presentation that the purpose of holding this event was to promote a more inclusive and open-minded community amongst employees, and that he hopes to hold more events like this in the future.
How to Further Your Support
The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island provides resources and programs that help empower and bring together the local Jewish community. On their website, you can also find ways to donate, or participate in one of the many events they host.
The overarching JCC Association of North America includes more than 170 Jewish Community Camps and Jewish Community Centers.
High Purity New England was proud to support this event and to support the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. If you would like to learn more about becoming an ally, click here and to learn how to support your colleagues, click here.
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About HPNE
As the industry needs grow, High Purity New England, Inc. continues to supply the biopharmaceutical industry with a range of innovative products, from drug discovery and development to fill-finish, including their flagship product, custom single-use assemblies, as well as pumps, sensors, bioreactor systems, storage and handling solutions and other single-use solutions. Along with their own manufactured products for the global market, they are also a distributor for more than 18 brands in North America.
