By Jo Ann Arnowitz, Jewish Museum of Florida The Cultural Passport program provides students with a vibrant insight into the immigration experience of all families in our multicultural community through their visits to the Jewish Museum of Florida. By exploring the significant contributions of the Jewish people in the state, from the first Jewish settlers in 1763, when Jews were first allowed to live here, to the present, this South Beach institution opens the portal to discoveries of commonality.

When our student visitors arrive, they participate in an exercise to share where their families originated, and what traditions and items in their homes were brought from their countries of origin. We ponder difficult family decisions that led to their journeys to America. We canvass personal experiences with universal acculturation issues and delve into what it may have been like to be “different” in a new community.

Prejudice. Discrimination. Stereotyping. It is here that our sharing of a common theme begins to narrow cultural divides. We offer discussion into the perils and tendencies to simplify a group of people and treat them as a whole, instead of seeing each one as an individual. Through an engaging and stimulating multi-media experience of photographs, films, artifacts, primary sources and oral histories, topics of immigration, community development, acculturation and identity formation, are explored, giving students an understanding of the value of cultural institutions and ethnic museums.

Students leave with a valuable appreciation for and inspiration from the courage and perseverance involved in the communal struggle to retain traditions, while becoming part of a greater society that values diversity. This message resonates with all.