December 13, 2019

Natchez’s B’nai Israel, Marks Rosenwald School Get Major State Preservation Grants

Concert at B’nai Israel, February 2016 Temple B’nai Israel in Natchez will receive a large grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, to help its preservation efforts. The department’s board met on Dec. 6 to award $3 million in Community Heritage Preservation grants […]
December 12, 2019

Radical Buffoons Making Unique Imprint on New Orleans Theater Scene

Jon Greene in “Balloonacy” Five years after arriving in New Orleans, Jon Greene has set down theatrical roots with The Radical Buffoons, and looks to use comedy to spark big conversations while developing the next phase of theater in New Orleans. The Radical Buffoons are […]
December 5, 2019

Chanukah Events in the Deep South

Chanukah 2018 at the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion Here is a selection of Chanukah events happening in the Deep South. Check with the individual organization or congregation regarding whether reservations are needed. Alabama Temple Beth El in Anniston will have its Chanukah service and dinner on […]
December 4, 2019

Chanukah at Riverwalk in New Orleans Celebrating 30 Years

As a prime example of shining light in the face of darkness, when former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke was running for statewide office in 1989, Chabad in New Orleans approached the Riverwalk to host a public Chanukah celebration and menorah lighting to combat […]
November 29, 2019

Opinion: While right-wing antisemitism is deadly, left-wing antisemitism is corrosive long-term

by Larry Brook, editor (This column is the lead editorial in the November 2019 issue of Southern Jewish Life.) There has been a lot of talk about antisemitism lately, and a heated debate on where it comes from and what manifestation is worse, though Deborah […]
November 26, 2019

Israel’s first Bedouin diplomat to serve Miami Consulate

Israel’s first Bedouin diplomat has become the acting Consul General at Israel’s Consulate in Miami, effective Nov. 25. The Miami Consulate serves an area that includes Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, as well as Puerto Rico. Ishmael Khaldi succeeds Consul General Lior Haiat, who was named […]
November 26, 2019

Opinion: It’s Time To Rekindle Black-Jewish Solidarity

From Left To Right: Dr. Martin Luther King, Rabbi Dr. Maurice Eisendrath and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel By Joshua Washington On July 17, 2014, in New York City, Eric Garner was murdered by a police officer by the name of Daniel Pantaleo, who choked Garner […]
November 20, 2019

Panel rules Memphis judge’s controversial posts not antisemitic

The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct issued a split decision regarding a Memphis judge who was accused of spreading antisemitism, saying his social media posts were “partisan in nature” but he had not made any antisemitic or racist statements. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Jim […]
November 20, 2019

The Jewish Connections to “The Elf on the Shelf” Musical

Sara Wordsworth By Lee J. Green The Elf on the Shelf went from the shelf to the stage, thanks in part to a couple of Jewish writers, who have tossed a little bit of Chanukah into “The Elf on the Shelf” musical coming to the […]