Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities

Highlighting the History of Huntsville’s Jewish Community

During the fall of 2011 Margaret Anne Goldsmith, a descendant of the first four Jewish families to settle in Huntsville, ...

A Small-World Story from the Small Southern Town of El Dorado, Arkansas

Nestled in South Arkansas, El Dorado is a small town with a big history. Recently, this small town reminded us ...

Jewish Memories in Meridian, Mississippi

I recently had the pleasure of being a presenter at the 4th annual Backstage Pass Conference, organized by Visit Mississippi, Mississippi Main ...

#TBT: The Orthodox Shul Dedicated in the Mississippi Delta in January 1923

Greenwood, Mississippi is a small town nestled in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. Today, it’s known for being home ...

Discovering My Southern Jewish Family… After I Moved Down South

At first blush, I might not seem like a very “Southern” Jewish girl: I grew up in Chicago, after all. ...

Jewish History in Ruleville, Mississippi (Bonus: Early Example of Photobomb!)

Ruleville is a small town in the Mississippi Delta. Most famously known as the birthplace of legendary organizer of the ...

Those Who Can, Teach

It’s been a nostalgic week for me. Although I defended my dissertation in June of last year and officially earned ...

Interfaith Collaboration: A Southern Tradition

This past week, two of my co-workers and I attended an interesting lecture by Reverend Ben Matin at Millsaps College, ...

A Historian’s First Trip to the Jewish Delta

What’s “new” for this historian? Well, at the moment, we are in the process of updating the Mississippi entries for ...

The Problem with Florida

Want some insights into a historian’s dilemma? It involves cultural identity. Geography. And NASCAR. (Well – sort of.)The Encyclopedia of ...