The Southern Jewish Historical Society will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an annual conference in Atlanta from October 16-18, 2026. There will also be an optional day trip (a tour of Jewish Atlanta) on October 15. More specific information will be posted as it becomes available, but those who are interested in presenting their scholarly work at the conference should refer to the Call for Papers, below.
CALL FOR PAPERS
"The Past, Present, and Future of Southern Jewish History"
50th Annual Conference of the Southern Jewish Historical Society
October 16-18, 2026
Atlanta, Georgia
The Southern Jewish Historical Society invites proposals for its 50th annual conference, to be held in Atlanta on October 16–18, 2026 in partnership with Emory University's Tam Institute for Jewish Studies. The theme of this conference is "The Past, Present and Future of Southern Jewish History."
2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Southern Jewish Historical Society. The organization's first conference, held in October 1976 in Richmond, Virginia, gathered scholars, community chroniclers, and others interested in the history of Jewish southerners. For the five decades since, the SJHS has distributed dozens of grants and scholarships supporting historical projects; published a peer-reviewed scholarly journal; and convened an annual conference in cities all around the South.
For the coming conference, we welcome proposals for panels, individual papers, roundtables, and lightning sessions that consider the history not only of our organization, but of southern Jewish history itself. How has our topic of collective examination and interest changed over time? How have methods for interpreting Jewish life in the region evolved over the past fifty years? And what directions might our field take in the future?
We also welcome presentations that explore broader themes of southern Jewish life, with particular interest in the history of Jewish life in Atlanta -- a major population center and economic hub for Jews in the South -- and in Georgia more broadly.
The proposal deadline is March 31, 2026. Graduate students, independent scholars, fiction writers, and artists are encouraged to apply. (A limited number of travel grants may be available for graduate students.)
- Paper proposals: one-page abstract (250 words)
- Panel or roundtable proposals: short (150 words) description, with individual paper abstracts attached for panels
- All proposed presenters should also send a short CV or résumé (2 pages)
Please submit all materials via email to Dr. Marni Davis, conference program chair, at marnidavis@gsu.edu, with "SJHS 2026 Proposal" as the subject line. All questions and further queries can be sent to Dr. Davis as well.