When Max Garson and Jaden Lehman were asked to perform a “Jewish song” for USC’s first Jewish American Heritage Month Celebration, the two debated what it meant for a song to be Jewish. 

Eventually, Garson, a sophomore majoring in jazz studies, and Lehman, a senior majoring in popular music performance,  decided that any song written by a Jewish person is Jewish. So, they performed an original instrumental written by Lehman. 

On Wednesday, USC hosted its first-ever annual Jewish American Heritage Month Celebration in Hahn Plaza, featuring speakers, refreshments and a musical performance. 

The celebration was organized by Max Rubenstein, the inaugural Jewish community advocacy liaison for the Undergraduate Student Government and a senior majoring in international relations. 

The event was opened by Rabbi Joshua Garroway, a professor of Judaeo-Christian studies at USC and the Hebrew Union College. He introduced Provost Andrew Guzman, who then gave a speech. 

“Today is fundamentally about community, about making space for conversation, for learning, for reflection,” Guzman said. “Part of what it means to show respect and empathy and support for one another, and I wanted to signal to everyone that we are together and we are here to care for you and care for one another when it’s needed.”

Guzman also highlighted the variety of Jewish environments the University has, including student organizations like Hillel and Chabad, as well as USC’s Shoah Foundation, which hosts the world’s largest collection of Holocaust survivor testimonies. 

Garroway gave his own speech, where he highlighted the life of Jewish film producer Louis B. Mayer and how he worked to develop America’s cinema industry into one that could bridge cultural connections. Garroway said he encouraged the audience to follow Mayer’s belief that storytelling can bring people together. 

“If Hollywood has brought the world together through stories, the University brings us together through knowledge, inquiry and the disciplined, joyful, sometimes difficult work of learning with one another and from one another,” Garroway said.

In an interview with the Daily Trojan, Rubenstein said had hoped to speak at the event about how excited he was that USG now had a Jewish community advocacy liaison. There were no student speakers at the event.

“This event would really benefit from a student speaker,” Rubenstein said. “I was chosen for this advocacy role because members of the Jewish community entrusted me to be able to advocate on their behalf. And as such, I imagine that many students would appreciate that student voice being uplifted.” 

Earlier this year, the Middle Eastern North African Student Assembly and the Native American Student Assembly both claimed that the University prohibited students from speaking at their respective cultural events.  

In statements to the Daily Trojan, the University did not explicitly address why students were unable to speak at the events, but said it was pleased many people attended and enjoyed the Arab American and Native American cultural events. 

Following Garroway’s speech, Garson and Lehman arrived on stage for their instrumental performance. Garson played the drums, while Lehman played guitar. 

“I thought it was a really nice idea to have some Jewish students play some music,” Garson said. “Music brings people together, so it’s really important to keep the music alive, especially in harder times. I was very grateful to play.” 

Ilana Jacobson, a freshman majoring in human biology, said she is involved with both Hillel and Chabad and heard about the event through those organizations.

“Coming to USC, a lot of my friends who aren’t Jewish,” Jacobson said. “I bring a lot of them to Shabbat with me. I think having [this event] on campus, in public, creates a space that people can learn about [Judaism] without having to go all the way to Hillel.” 

Guzman, Garson and Jacobson all said events like this one are especially important following rising antisemitism in the United States. 

“A lot of people don’t know about Judaism and what it means to be Jewish,” Jacobson said. “A lot of people conflate it with just political stuff or Israel, and the truth is that being Jewish is so much more than that.” 

Zachary Whalen contributed to this report.

Disclaimer: Max Rubenstein formerly served as an assistant News editor at the Daily Trojan in Spring 2024. Rubenstein is no longer affiliated with this paper.