Mission

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) supports, connects, and celebrates Jewish life in the South.

Vision

​The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) provides programs and services across the south. We offer resources tailored to meet the needs of communities of all sizes. From the largest congregations to the last-Jews-in-town, we offer resources at every level. Throughout our thirteen-state region, we work with individuals, congregations, and organizations to preserve the storied past of Southern Jewish life, while at the same time enriching the ongoing experience of Jews in the contemporary American south.
 
All of the programs we offer are designed to strengthen Jewish life. Our comprehensive Jewish education program has been embraced by an array of congregations of various denominations and sizes. Our community engagement efforts seek to make the world a better place, while also providing Jewish individuals with meaningful service-learning opportunities. Our historic preservation and heritage and interpretation divisions explore and expand on Southern Jewish stories, then and now. Our cultural programming brings world class entertainment and enrichment to communities across the region. We also provide visits and remote rabbinical support to congregations without full-time clergy, so that in times of joy and sorrow, small-town Jews always have a rabbi upon whom they can call.
 
Everything we do is informed by the expressed needs of the communities we serve. We will strive to continue to be as responsive as possible to all of our partners as we continue the ongoing journey of supporting, connecting, and celebrating Jewish life in the south.