Our Mission
Jews have lived in the South since the late-seventeenth century. As late as 1820, more Jews lived in Charleston, South Carolina than in New York City. Though they constitute less than 1% of the general Southern population, and less than 5% of America’s Jewish population, southern Jews have made a significant mark on the communities in which they lived. Our goal is to preserve the stories of Jewish life in the South and make them available to a wider audience.
Jews have lived in the South since the late-seventeenth century. As late as 1820, more Jews lived in Charleston, South Carolina than in New York City. Though they constitute less than 1% of the general Southern population, and less than 5% of America’s Jewish population, southern Jews have made a significant mark on the communities in which they lived. Our goal is to preserve the stories of Jewish life in the South and make them available to a wider audience.
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Programs and Resources
For more than twenty years, the ISJL has actively collected information and documents relating to every Southern Jewish community that has ever existed. You can see the fruits of this effort in our Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities. The encyclopedia is a valuable resource for researchers, scholars, and people interested in their family history. We also house an oral history program that seeks to capture the stories of southern Jews, especially in smaller communities where Jewish populations are on the decline. The ISJL Oral History Archive already houses over 800 interviews. We are committed to making its oral history collection a nationally recognized resource for scholars and students. |
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We proudly history preservation efforts with our colleagues at the Southern Jewish Historical Society. Explore their excellent bibliography and learn more about their work here.
