1999 President's Welcome

n the Beginning...Welcome to the Web Site of the Southern Jewish Historical Society, or as we say in the blended words of our Southern and Jewish heritage--Shalom Y'all!  As an historical society, we are keenly aware of origins. "One generation shall laud Thy works to another and shall declare Thy mighty acts." This line from Psalm 145 can be read as a guide to the Southern Jewish Historical Society. Our constitution states as our mission: "The purpose of the Society shall be the collection, preservation, exhibition, publication, and popularization of materials referring to the history and life of Jews in the South, and the promotion of research in and the study of the Jewish history and life of this region." Southern Jewry is in rich bloom. The region is one of the very Jewish areas outside Israel that is growing. Within the boundaries of the old Confederacy now reside over 1.2 million Jews, making the South home to one of every thirteen Jews in the world.

Interest in Southern history is growing larger, stronger, and more vital. On Broadway and in the cinema the Jewish South is flourishing. Recently acclaimed museum exhibits include "Commonwealth and Community: the Jewish Experience in Virginia," sponsored by the Virginia Historical Society and Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, and "Alsace to America" at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in Mississippi.

We contribute three important additions to the canon: the journal Southern Jewish History, the newsletter The Rambler, and this Southern Jewish Historical Society Web Site. The SJHS archives in Charleston preserve our past. Our grants support research, exhibitions, and publications, and our annual meeting brings together scholars and the larger public. Our vibrant membership numbers in the hundreds. Our activists stretch throughout the terrain of the old Confederacy into the border states and scatter across much of this country and two other continents.

The SJHS is creating a legacy for future generations. No, Southern Jews have not created a Babylonian Talmud, a Zionist rebirth, or even a New York culinary culture, but we do have a unique contribution to make to Jewish history. As Southerners, we cherish and preserve our regional history.  "Remember world history, study the generational epochs" (Ha'azinu, 32.7), Moses counseled as the Jews prepared to cross the River Jordan into Caanan.

We encourage your joining with us and sharing our interest in the this field, from one generation to another. On behalf of the Southern Jewish Historical Society, we again welcome you to our new Web Site.

Respectfully and b'shalom,

Bruce Beeber, M.D.

President, Southern Jewish Historical Society