THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHERN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY FALL 2020 VOLUME 24, NUMBER 4 Alfred Uhry to Inaugurate Lecture Series Honoring Janice Rothschild Blumberg We are delighted to announce that the The Temple where her late husband Southern Jewish Historical Society Jacob Rothschild served as rabbi, and (SJHS), the Breman Museum, and The more. The series will feature noted Temple in Atlanta have established an scholars who will examine the cultural, endowment fund creating the Janice artistic, and historical themes that have Rothschild Blumberg Lecture Series on been interwoven through her life. Southern Jewish History, Culture and Alfred Uhry’s Driving Miss Daisy is part Arts. Alfred Uhry, the Pulitzer Prize- of a trilogy (with The Last Night of winning author of Driving Miss Daisy, Ballyhoo and Parade) that depicts Jewish will present the inaugural lecture, life in Atlanta, where he, like Janice, which will be held virtually on Sunday, was born and raised. He not only December 6, at 4 p.m. Eastern Time Top: Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta received the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for on Zoom. Scott King, Jacob dramatic writing, he also has won an Rothschild, and The annual event recognizes the Janice Rothschild Academy Award and two Tony contributions of Janice Rothschild at an Atlanta Awards—one of very few writers to Blumberg to both Atlanta and southern banquet honoring receive all three honors. King, 1965. Photo Jewish history. “Janice has helped to by Bill Rothschild. “We are excited to kick off this lecture shape the study of the American Jewish Bottom: Alfred series with Alfred Uhry, and we invite South throughout the 20th and now 21st Uhry, James Earl Jones, Boyd everyone to donate to the endowment century, and we want to honor her Gaines, and fund to help make it a success for years extraordinary contributions to southern Angela Lansbury to come,” said Jay Silverberg, SJHS culture, art, and Jewish history,” said during a 2013 revival of Driving incoming president. Phyllis Leffler, SJHS president. The Donations can Miss Daisy. be made at jewishsouth.org/ author of numerous books and articles, Wikicommons. Janice received the SJHS Samuel store/make-donation. (Be sure to Proctor Award for Outstanding Career highlight the Janice Rothschild Scholarship in Southern Jewish History. She is a former SJHS Blumberg Lecture category.) president and remains active in the Society. Her memoir What’s The December 6 lecture is free. To attend, register here: Next? Southern Dreams, Jewish Deeds and the Challenge of Looking Back While Moving Forward will be published in Spring 2021. bit.ly/3iVHbdS. While this first event will be held remotely, future lectures will rotate among the three sponsoring In addition to being an accomplished historian, Janice has led an organizations, with the 2021 lecture set for next fall’s SJHS eventful life as a native Atlantan, civil rights activist, leader of conference in Charleston. Support Southern Jewish Archives—And Double Your Impact! Some years ago, former SJHS president Scott Langston and his wife Donna generously funded an SJHS archival grant program that enables the Society to support vital archival projects across the South. Recent grants have helped digitize a Memphis Jewish newspaper, preserve family papers in Norfolk, and assemble primary sources for a virtual museum in Augusta. In addition to their regular yearly contribution, the Langstons have pledged an annual matching grant. If the Society can raise $500, the couple will match it, boosting the fund by $1000 annually. Each year, worthy grant requests go unfunded for lack of sufficient funds. These new dollars can go a long way toward preserving and making accessible the critical documents of southern Jewish history. To donate and help us earn the match, go online to jewishsouth.org/store/make-donation, click on “Grants,” and specify “Langston Archival Grants” on the Checkout page. Thanks in advance for your support! Find us on Facebook. Search for “Southern Jewish Historical Society.” Visit our website: jewishsouth.org. 1. President’s Message By Phyllis Leffler Officers and Board 2020 In normal times, this would be the newsletter you’d receive right before PRESIDENT the start of another conference. In normal times, my message would say Phyllis Leffler that I look forward to seeing you at our conference site (in this case, VICE PRESIDENT Charleston). These are not normal times—and yet, the one thing that has Jay Silverberg a ring of normalcy about it is that our SJHS work proceeds. SECRETARY This, then, is my last column as president. It has been a privilege to serve Marni Davis in this role. Despite being involved in the Society’s committee work for TREASURER years, I have learned so much about the collaborative, thoughtful, David Meola imaginative, and engaged people who participate as members, committee chairs, and office holders. I deeply appreciate the support and IMMEDIATE PAST cooperation I have received from the people who do the work of the PRESIDENT organization—handling our finances, overseeing membership, making Dan J. Puckett decisions about grants, producing our journal and newsletter, and organizing our conferences. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Truly, SJHS runs very smoothly because of its collaborative nature. Sharon Fahrer Joshua Furman As I review this past year since Charlottesville, a good chunk of it has occurred with the constraints Eric Goldstein of COVID. Thanks to members of the board, we have pivoted to a virtual Zoom environment and Dana Herman we have been able to bring you meaningful programs. Throughout the summer, we co-hosted six Jeremy Katz very strong programs with the Breman Museum. I sincerely thank board member Jeremy Katz, Stephen Krause director of the Cuba Archives at the Breman, for reaching out to us with this opportunity. In Adam Meyer October, SJHS@Home presented weekly programs to suggest a taste of what the Charleston Josh Parshall conference might have looked like. I am deeply grateful to board members Shari Rabin, assistant Shari Rabin professor at Oberlin College, and Josh Parshall, director of history at the Institute of Southern Ellen Umansky Jewish Life, for organizing this series. Bernie Wax (emeritus) The rest of the work of SJHS has occurred CORRESPONDING SECRETARY seamlessly, as we have held virtual board meetings Shari Rabin when needed. Treasurer David Meola has been amazingly responsive while teaching his courses JOURNAL EDITOR from home, managing life with young children, and Mark Bauman organizing an international move! Ellen Umansky 678.828.7484 [email protected] has done a double job as chair of the nominations committee and membership co-chair, as well as JOURNAL MANAGING EDITOR advisor any time I needed her. Eric Goldstein has Bryan Edward Stone chaired our grants committee with incredible [email protected] thoughtfulness and competence, pivoting to focus on the kinds of grants that are feasible in our JOURNAL FOUNDING current environment. Mark Bauman and Bryan MANAGING EDITOR Stone continue to produce a superb journal, and Rachel Heimovics Braun Deb Weiner constantly produces the Rambler with RAMBLER EDITOR interesting and meaningful articles. And, of course, Deborah R. Weiner Barbara Tahsler is simply indispensable for keeping Send editorial inquiries to our membership records and always being ready to [email protected]. Phyllis Leffler and Jeremy Katz in Charlottesville, 2019. send out materials as needed. It really does take a Photo by Dale Rosengarten. Send address changes to: village! I am grateful to all of them and will miss Barbara Tahsler our regular interactions. SJHS continued on page 5… PO Box 71601 Marietta, GA 30007-1601 [email protected] New Officers and Board Member Elected for 2021 MEMBERSHIP CO-CHAIRS At the October 25 membership meeting (held virtually), Jay Silverberg was elected president of Ellen Umansky the Society. He takes over from Phyllis Leffler, who will remain on the board as immediate past- 914.428.0289 president. Josh Parshall was elected vice president/president-elect. [email protected] Bruce Beeber Karen Franklin was welcomed as a new board member. A noted genealogist, Karen is director 770.399.4222 of family history at Leo Baeck Institute in New York City. She is a past chair of the Council of [email protected] American Jewish Museums and JewishGen.org. An active SJHS member for many years, her essay “Resources for Southern Jewish History: A Family History Perspective,” co-authored with © 2020 Southern Jewish Historical Society Anton Hieke, appears in the current issue of the Society’s journal. Rambler, Fall 2020 2. SJHS@Home Serves Up Diverse Program Mix In place of our annual conference, the Society’s SJHS@Home transformed into “Rosh Hashanah Jam Cake,” served in the series in October used the Zoom format in creative ways to Cohen household each year to represent “the flavor and hope engage audiences in a diverse mix of topics related to southern for a sweet New Year.” Jewish history and culture. The three sessions The goal of the series offered a variety of was not only to entry points for people present historical interested in southern content, but also “to Jewish history. The bring together the “Virtual Museum” community that appealed to people surrounds SJHS in the with personal absence of a physical connections to the conference,” said co- topic and drew from organizers Shari museum studies and Rabin of Oberlin material culture College and Josh methodologies. Parshall of the “Distinctive or Institute of Southern Typical?,” the most Jewish Life. The series “academic” also offered the presentation of the opportunity to attract three, addressed new participants, both important scholars and “lay” historiographical people. Jam cake, before, during, and after. Top left: questions in the study Ferris called her mother’s recipe box a Around 45 people “conversation” between women of different of southern and backgrounds and generations.