Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
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Future Museum Plans

Future Museum Plans

Designed as a series of satellite locations, the MSJE is currently working on two expansion sites: Meridian, Mississippi and Selma, Alabama, which both have significant Jewish histories.  The sites will provide two important stops on the ISJL Cultural Corridors tour.  In conjunction with the City of Meridian, the Museum will help promote the use of downtown as a historic museum and entertainment district established by the Riley Performing Arts Center.  MSJE-Selma will preserve a beautiful and architecturally significant synagogue that is well over a century old.  Together, the MSJE sites will further the goals of historic preservation, community building, and tourism development.
Picture
Meridian, Mississippi:  By the turn of the century, Meridian was eastern Mississippi’s railroad hub, a town bursting with economic activity and cultural appeal.  Jews were among the earliest residents of Meridian, having moved to town after the Civil War from nearby Marion, which had been bypassed by the railroad.  Meridian's Jewish community played a major role in the economic development of the city and its mark is still reflected in downtown.  Several of the great downtown monuments to Jewish financial prominence still stand.  Today the Marks-Rothenberg building and its Grand Opera House is the hub of downtown Meridian’s economic and cultural renaissance as the Riley Arts Center.

Picture
Selma, Alabama:  Jewish settlers first arrived in Selma in the 1830s and soon began holding religious services in private homes.  Later, the congregation rented a local Episcopal Church for services.  In 1899, they dedicated their first and only synagogue on Broad Street.  From the late 19th century to the end of World War II, Jews dominated Selma's downtown business district and made vital contributions to civic and economic life.  The Jewish population began to decline after World War II as young people left for the promise of bigger cities.  The remaining Jews, mostly elderly, continue to worship at Temple Mishkan Israel today.  Their devotion to preserving its legacy is anything but ordinary. 

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  • Home
  • WHO WE ARE
    • Our Mission & History
    • Goldring and Woldenberg
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Our Founder
    • Contact Us
  • WHAT WE DO
    • Conference >
      • 2025 PRESENTERS
      • Conference Info 2025
    • Education >
      • Education Overview
      • ISJL Program Bank
      • Hineinu Y'all
      • Education Partners
      • Curriculum Highlights >
        • Lesson Plan Evaluation
      • Literacy >
        • LAB
        • Our Reading Family
        • TAP >
          • TAP Basic Resources
          • TAP Newsletter
          • Zadeck TAP Mentors
    • CULTURE >
      • Culture Overview
      • Cultural Programming >
        • Presenters Roster
      • History >
        • Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities >
          • Alabama Encyclopedia
          • Arkansas Encyclopedia
          • Georgia Encyclopedia
          • Florida Encyclopedia
          • Kentucky Encyclopedia
          • Louisiana Encyclopedia
          • Mississippi Encyclopedia
          • North Carolina Encyclopedia
          • Oklahoma Encyclopedia
          • South Carolina Encyclopedia
          • Tennessee Encyclopedia
          • Texas Encyclopedia
          • Virginia Encyclopedia
          • Encyclopedia Credits
        • Oral History
    • SPIRITUALITY >
      • Spirituality Overview
      • Passover
      • High Holidays Helper
      • Meet Our Rabbi
      • Taste of Torah
    • PODCAST
  • DONATE
    • Donation Options
    • Donate Now
    • Planned Giving
    • Join the Chai Club
    • Donor's Bill of Rights
  • Shalom Y'all
  • Strategic Plan
  • Southern & Jewish Blog
  • Calendar
  • Virtual Press Kit
  • ISJL 25