September 1, 2005

Update: Biloxi shul “very damaged”

Beth Israel Congregation, which was situated two blocks off the beach in Biloxi, was reportedly “very damaged” by Hurricane Katrina. The only Conservative congregation in Mississippi and the only synagogue on the Mississippi coast, Beth Israel is located behind the President Casino and Treasure Bay […]
September 1, 2005

Jackson congregation functioning

Congregation Beth Israel in Jackson, Miss., is back up and functioning, according to office manager Ellen Alexander. Jackson had 90-mph sustained winds during the hurricane, but was to the west of the eye. There were widespread power outages, and the congregation just this morning had […]
August 30, 2005

Jacobs Camp hosting Katrina evacuees

The Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, Miss., is hosting about 150 evacuees from the New Orleans area. Among the evacuees are residents of the Louise Davis Developmental Center for Adults with Cognitive Disabilities, which designated the camp as its evacuation site after the 2004 […]
August 29, 2005

Community mourns loss of Rabbi Cynthia Culpeper, 43

BIRMINGHAM — Rabbi Cynthia Culpeper, the first pulpit rabbi to announce being diagnosed with AIDS, died the morning of Aug. 29 after a 10-year battle with the disease. Culpeper, 43, was diagnosed after coming down with thrush shortly before her first High Holy Days after […]
August 23, 2005

Vandalism at Pensacola Jewish cemetery

About thirty markers in the older section of Pensacola’s Temple Beth-El cemetery were toppled Saturday night or Sunday morning in an act of vandalism. The congregation is the oldest in the state of Florida. Congregants are raising funds both for a reward for information leading […]
August 19, 2005

A true house of study: Beth Or’s library accredited

Temple Beth Or’s Library First in State to Receive Accreditation from Jewish Libraries Group Over the last couple of years, Montgomery’s Temple Beth Or has placed an emphasis on improving its library, and renamed it in memory of Rabbi Eugene Blachschleger, who served the congregation […]
August 17, 2005

Beth-El welcomes Cantor Daniel Gale

Some cantors come from a long line of cantors and rabbis, and know early on that they want to pursue the family tradition. Cantor Daniel Gale, who began at Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El on July 1, took a somewhat different route. Gale grew into the position […]
August 16, 2005

JCRS funds record number of campers

For summer 2005, the Jewish Children¹s Regional Service has provided “need based” funding to a record 257 Southern Jewish youth to attend overnight camp. The campers are residents of seven southern states, including Alabama and Mississippi, and must attend a camp sponsored by a Jewish […]
August 12, 2005

Killen posts bond

Edgar Ray Killen, who was convicted of manslaughter in June of the 1964 killing of three civil rights workers near Philadelphia, Miss., was freed on a $600,000 post-conviction bond today. Friends and relatives paid the bond this afternoon. According to Circuit Judge Marcus Gordon, who […]