The Heritage and Interpretation Department celebrates the rich legacy of Jewish life in the American South through public programs, trips and tours, shared experiences, historic preservation, and more. Traveling to the American South, visiting Jewish communities and Civil Rights Movement sites along the way? Visiting a historic synagogue that’s home to the oldest Jewish community in Mississippi? Experiencing the breadth of southern Jewish history and culture from the comfort of your home? The Heritage and Interpretation Department is here to make it happen. Learn more about our exciting programs and get involved with public history in the Jewish South.
Get in touch to learn more about any of our programs.
Get in touch to learn more about any of our programs.
Up Next!
Join the ISJL Virtual Vacation on Monday, January 24th, at 11am Central for a LIVE conversation with Marcie Cohen Ferris, author of Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South and The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Region. Marcie Cohen Ferris is a professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ferris’s research and teaching interests include southern history and culture—particularly the foodways and material culture of the American South, the history of the Jewish South, and American Jewish identity and culture. We’ll discuss southern Jewish food traditions, family recipes, and the ways in which food plays a role in identity, memory, and community. Join us live on Facebook or watch the program on demand on our website.