Southern Jewish Historical Society joining Birmingham 50 Forward commemorations

With the city of Birmingham hosting numerous events all year marking the 50th anniversary of pivotal civil rights events, the Southern Jewish Historical Society decided to hop on board.

The SJHS annual convention, held Nov. 1 to 3, will be part of the city’s official commemoration. This is the first time in 25 years that the convention has been held in Birmingham.

Scholar and civil rights activist Julian Bond will be the keynote speaker, during Shabbat evening services at Temple Emanu-El on Nov. 1. Bond helped establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, was chairman of the NAACP for 12 years and was the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He is currently on the faculty of American University and the University of Virginia.

Bond will lead a tour of civil rights sites the afternoon of Nov. 1.

Southern Jewish History editor Mark Bauman will speak about Rabbi Allen Krause, who died this past year, and his interviews of Southern rabbis during the civil righst movement.

There will be presentations on Birmingham Jewish history and other areas of Southern Jewish life. The conference will be housed at the Doubletree Hotel near the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Registration information is available here.