Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Belzoni, Mississippi
Overview >> Mississippi >> Belzoni
Historical Overview
Known to some as the “catfish capital of the world,” this small Humphreys County seat (pronounced "bel-ZONE-uh") felt the influence of Jewish settlers throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Names such as Cohn, Davidow, Shapero, and Goldberg found homes in this part of the Mississippi Delta. It was also the hometown of Lawrence Gordon, a Hollywood producer known for such films as Field of Dreams and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
Belzoni began in the 1820s as a future river boat settlement. The town’s name originated from a New Orleans planter who bought the land and named it after the Italian explorer, Giovanni Battista Belzoni. The community of Belzoni did not have much of an infrastructure by the middle 1800s, including a lack of churches. The town did not really develop until after the Civil War, when mercantile operations began to develop along the Yazoo River. In addition to putting Belzoni on the map, these operations also brought the first Jewish people to the area.
Belzoni began in the 1820s as a future river boat settlement. The town’s name originated from a New Orleans planter who bought the land and named it after the Italian explorer, Giovanni Battista Belzoni. The community of Belzoni did not have much of an infrastructure by the middle 1800s, including a lack of churches. The town did not really develop until after the Civil War, when mercantile operations began to develop along the Yazoo River. In addition to putting Belzoni on the map, these operations also brought the first Jewish people to the area.
Stories of the Jewish Community in Belzoni
Early Jewish Settlers
While the Livingston and Morris families were some of the first to open general merchandise stores and to grow cotton, others began to arrive by the 1880s as they brought their special trades to an ever-growing community.
The Cohn Family
When Morris Cohn arrived in the Belzoni area as a German immigrant, he bought a tract of land and established Messrs. Cohn & Company, a business that eventually became known as one of the oldest dry goods and grocery stores in Belzoni. Selling quality goods, Cohn became very successful, both in wealth and reputation. His success allowed him to explore other ventures including banking, insurance, and oil.
While Morris Cohn exemplified the personal success of Jewish merchants, he also promoted the general welfare of Belzoni. Cohn employed a young Catholic man, Stephen Castleman, who later became both Cohn's son-in-law when he married his daughter Pauline, and mayor of Belzoni during the 1890s. Castleman earned the title of “builder of Belzoni” because he updated the town’s government using an official state village charter from then Governor John Marshall Stone. This created a board of school directors and a council of aldermen. These new political arenas allowed town merchants greater access into civic affairs. For example, one of Morris Cohn’s sons, J.D., not only joined his father and brother, Abe, in the family business as a salesman and an accountant, but he also served as an alderman and a school board member.
The Davidow Family
In 1880, Solomon Davidow arrived in the United States from Poland and began selling clothing and goods as he traveled down the East Coast. After his long travels as a peddler and lengthy stays with family in Yazoo City, Mississippi and Pulaski, Tennessee, Davidow decided to settle in Belzoni in 1892. He opened the Davidow Dry Goods Store, which earned him a reputation for selling the most popular goods from the East Coast at reasonable prices. Eventually, he married Frieda Cohn, daughter of Morris, and had great success through his excellent business skills. Unfortunately, Frieda's sudden death in 1914 caused him to fall into a state of depression, which decreased his prosperity by the time of his death in 1927.
A Small Jewish Community
While Jews became very prominent in both the political and mercantile realms of Belzoni around the turn of the century, the small community was never large enough to have a functioning synagogue or Jewish cemetery of its own. During the renaissance period of the town in the 1890s, Belzoni Jews were only able to hold minyans in private homes.
In 1937, fewer than 40 Jews lived in Belzoni. Most Jews did not settle for long in Belzoni, many moved on to larger Delta towns like Yazoo City, Greenville, and Indianola. Without Jewish institutions, Jews in the area most likely practiced their faith either in private homes or at a synagogue in a neighboring town. In the case of the Cohn family, business led them to Greenville, where they worshipped at the synagogue and were buried in the cemetery. Due to long distances, poor roads, and slow methods of transportation, Belzoni Jews attended services somewhat rarely, usually reserving the long trip for major holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As a result, Belzoni Jews were not typically members of a congregation. Owning a store in a small Delta town did not lend itself to strict observance of the Sabbath or kosher dietary laws. Nevertheless, Belzoni Jews observed the most important Jewish holidays.
Although many moved in and out of the area, a Jewish presence persisted in Belzoni throughout most of the 20th century. General goods establishments and clothing stores arose during the 1920s, like Goldberg’s, which dubbed itself, “The Home of Good Things to Eat”, and later Goldberg’s Department Store, which still exists today. During the latter half of the 20th century, many of the Jewish families of Belzoni traveled to Greenwood, where they worshiped at both Ahavath Rayim and Beth Israel, though the long distance made these trips relatively infrequent.
Some Jewish immigrants, like members of the Davidow family, came to Belzoni from rural areas in Europe; in Belzoni, they found a way of life that was not much different from the “old country.” Although Jews were a tiny minority of the population, they found ways to survive and even thrive in the Mississippi Delta.
While the Livingston and Morris families were some of the first to open general merchandise stores and to grow cotton, others began to arrive by the 1880s as they brought their special trades to an ever-growing community.
The Cohn Family
When Morris Cohn arrived in the Belzoni area as a German immigrant, he bought a tract of land and established Messrs. Cohn & Company, a business that eventually became known as one of the oldest dry goods and grocery stores in Belzoni. Selling quality goods, Cohn became very successful, both in wealth and reputation. His success allowed him to explore other ventures including banking, insurance, and oil.
While Morris Cohn exemplified the personal success of Jewish merchants, he also promoted the general welfare of Belzoni. Cohn employed a young Catholic man, Stephen Castleman, who later became both Cohn's son-in-law when he married his daughter Pauline, and mayor of Belzoni during the 1890s. Castleman earned the title of “builder of Belzoni” because he updated the town’s government using an official state village charter from then Governor John Marshall Stone. This created a board of school directors and a council of aldermen. These new political arenas allowed town merchants greater access into civic affairs. For example, one of Morris Cohn’s sons, J.D., not only joined his father and brother, Abe, in the family business as a salesman and an accountant, but he also served as an alderman and a school board member.
The Davidow Family
In 1880, Solomon Davidow arrived in the United States from Poland and began selling clothing and goods as he traveled down the East Coast. After his long travels as a peddler and lengthy stays with family in Yazoo City, Mississippi and Pulaski, Tennessee, Davidow decided to settle in Belzoni in 1892. He opened the Davidow Dry Goods Store, which earned him a reputation for selling the most popular goods from the East Coast at reasonable prices. Eventually, he married Frieda Cohn, daughter of Morris, and had great success through his excellent business skills. Unfortunately, Frieda's sudden death in 1914 caused him to fall into a state of depression, which decreased his prosperity by the time of his death in 1927.
A Small Jewish Community
While Jews became very prominent in both the political and mercantile realms of Belzoni around the turn of the century, the small community was never large enough to have a functioning synagogue or Jewish cemetery of its own. During the renaissance period of the town in the 1890s, Belzoni Jews were only able to hold minyans in private homes.
In 1937, fewer than 40 Jews lived in Belzoni. Most Jews did not settle for long in Belzoni, many moved on to larger Delta towns like Yazoo City, Greenville, and Indianola. Without Jewish institutions, Jews in the area most likely practiced their faith either in private homes or at a synagogue in a neighboring town. In the case of the Cohn family, business led them to Greenville, where they worshipped at the synagogue and were buried in the cemetery. Due to long distances, poor roads, and slow methods of transportation, Belzoni Jews attended services somewhat rarely, usually reserving the long trip for major holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As a result, Belzoni Jews were not typically members of a congregation. Owning a store in a small Delta town did not lend itself to strict observance of the Sabbath or kosher dietary laws. Nevertheless, Belzoni Jews observed the most important Jewish holidays.
Although many moved in and out of the area, a Jewish presence persisted in Belzoni throughout most of the 20th century. General goods establishments and clothing stores arose during the 1920s, like Goldberg’s, which dubbed itself, “The Home of Good Things to Eat”, and later Goldberg’s Department Store, which still exists today. During the latter half of the 20th century, many of the Jewish families of Belzoni traveled to Greenwood, where they worshiped at both Ahavath Rayim and Beth Israel, though the long distance made these trips relatively infrequent.
Some Jewish immigrants, like members of the Davidow family, came to Belzoni from rural areas in Europe; in Belzoni, they found a way of life that was not much different from the “old country.” Although Jews were a tiny minority of the population, they found ways to survive and even thrive in the Mississippi Delta.
The Jewish Community in Belzoni Today
Although cotton and the river and railroad trading routes had originally brought Jews to Belzoni, many Jews left as small catfish farms replaced the large cotton plantations of the past. Certainly, some could have stayed in business, but the role of Jewish merchants had changed. Most of the young Jews raised in Belzoni, like movie producer Lawrence Gordon, left for greater opportunities in urban areas.