Johnson County proclaims Jewish American Heritage and Community Action months; leaders urge vigilance and continued housing supports

Chairman Mike Kelly opened the May 21 Johnson County Board of County Commissioners meeting by proclaiming May as Jewish American Heritage Month and inviting Allison Berry of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee to accept the proclamation and speak.

Allison Berry described an increase in anti‑Semitic incidents locally and nationally since October 2023 and shared national American Jewish Committee findings, saying such trends have made many Jewish residents feel less safe. Berry warned that hate‑based crimes have risen dramatically and called on elected officials and residents to use available educational resources and to report incidents; she left a resource card and a QR code for briefings and local government support.

Later the board also recognized Community Action Month and invited Brandy Lopez of ECKAN (East Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Corporation) to accept a proclamation marking the agency’s 60th anniversary. Lopez summarized ECKAN’s mission to connect low‑income residents to services, noted the agency’s origin under the federal Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) program and highlighted a recent partnership that combined workforce training with distribution of laptops to program graduates.

Both presentations emphasized community partnerships. Berry urged residents and officials to "reach out with questions" and to speak up when noticing potential incidents affecting the Jewish community; Lopez asked the board and partners to continue supporting programs that promote housing stability and economic opportunity.

The proclamations were ceremonial; no formal board action was required. The remarks were followed by applause and brief acknowledgements from commissioners.