Hanukkah & Jewish Culture

From a disregarded, forlorn island in the early 1900s to the world-famous resort and go-to place of today, Jews have played a prominent role in Miami Beach's achievements and fame. Initially consigned to a tiny enclave on the southern tip of Miami Beach, the community's Jewish population quickly expanded north, from South Beach to Golden Beach, and assumed a leadership position in nearly every phase of the city's life by the late 1900s. At every step of Miami Beach's rich history--from commerce, architecture, and banking to hospitality, real estate, and government--the Jewish community blossomed, enabling Jews to play singular roles in a drama that continues to unfold.

Authors Emily Ford and Barry Stiefel delve into the Jewish communities settled in New Orleans and along the Mississippi Delta.

The early days of Louisiana settlement brought with them a clandestine group of Jewish pioneers. Isaac Monsanto and other traders spited the rarely enforced Code Noir banning their occupancy, but it wasn't until the Louisiana Purchase that larger numbers colonized the area. Immigrants like the Sartorius brothers and Samuel Zemurray made their way from Central and Eastern Europe to settle the bayou country along the Mississippi. They made their homes in and around New Orleans and the Mississippi River delta, establishing congregations like that of Tememe Derech and B'Nai Israel, with the mighty river serving as a mode of transportation and communication, connecting the communities on both sides of the riverbank.

A Jewish community has resided in Northern Virginia for over 175 years. Communal activities began in earnest in the 1850s with the establishment of a Hebrew Benevolent Society and the first synagogue--Beth El Hebrew Congregation in Alexandria. As the community took root, it absorbed waves of immigrants from Germany and later Eastern Europe, leading to growth across the area and a wider range of Jewish practice. The new arrivals settled in towns across the area, establishing livelihoods in Arlington, Herndon, Fredericksburg, Warrenton, Culpeper, Leesburg, and Winchester. Many worked in the retail trade, selling clothes, shoes, merchandise, and scrap. The growth of the federal government and construction of the Pentagon in the 1940s brought new jobs and families to the area, and the Jewish community grew along with it. In recent decades, Northern Virginia has changed from a largely rural area to a bustling integrated extension of Washington, DC. Today, the area is home to over 120,000 Jews, surpassing the number in the older DC and Maryland communities.

As Atlanta evolved from a sleepy, backwater, 19th-century frontier railroad town into a 21st-century international metropolis, Jewish men and women significantly contributed to the rich tapestry of the "Gate City of the South." The commercial infrastructure of the expanding city was greatly enhanced through numerous small businesses established by Jewish merchants, some of which became major players in various industries. Many of Atlanta's most recognizable icons--The Coca-Cola Company, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Atlanta Braves--originated, in part, thanks to support from visionary leaders in the Jewish community. While there are many success stories throughout Atlanta's Jewish history, there are also dark episodes of blatant antisemitism that traumatized the community and had national implications. The lynching of Leo M. Frank; the bombing of the city's historic synagogue, the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation; and the deliberate expulsion of Jewish students from Emory University Dental School marred Atlanta's self-proclaimed reputation as "The City Too Busy to Hate."

West Virginia has a unique history of Jewish settlement dating back to 1849 when the first Jewish organization in the state, a Jewish burial society, was established by a small group of German Jewish immigrants in the city of Wheeling. From modest beginnings, Jews settled in towns and cities and established businesses and communal organizations. Since that time, the Jews of the Mountain State have been an integral part of the state's economic, cultural, and political life. Though always relatively small in size, West Virginia's Jewish population has been a strong advocate for the state and gained prominence in many areas. Readers will recognize images of well-known institutions such as Shoney's, Cohen's, Frankenberger's, Embee's, and others that bring back fond memories. Despite declines in Jewish population numbers, today's Jewish community remains active and involved in the life of the state.

New Orleans is not a typical Southern city. The Jews who have settled in New Orleans from 1757 to the present have had a very different experience than others in the South. New Orleans was a wide-open frontier that attracted gamblers, sailors, con artists, planters, and merchants. Most early Jewish immigrants were bachelors who took Catholic wives, if they married at all. The first congregation, Gates of Mercy, was founded in 1827, and by 1860, four congregations represented Sephardic, French and German, and Polish Jewry. The reform movement, the largest denomination today, took hold after the Civil War with the founding of Temple Sinai. Small as it is in proportion to the population of New Orleans, the Jewish community has made contributions that far exceed their numbers in cultural, educational, and philanthropic gifts to the city.

Your roadmap to Jewish life in South Florida!

A rich history and Jewish cultural tradition lie beneath the surface of South Florida. Beyond the stereotype of elderly Jews visiting sunny beaches, Florida boasts a distinctive Jewish population. The area is inhabited by Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews with roots in Spain or Turkey, and those from Cuba and other Latin American countries. This cultural mingling makes the Jewish way of life in South Florida so unique, featuring synagogues and eateries from Boca Raton, Palm Beach, and Miami. More than simply a travel guide, this book approaches each profiled location as an opportunity to bring to light the culture of the Jews that have made South Florida their home.

The Jewish presence in northwest Louisiana actually predates the establishment of Shreveport in 1836. From the very beginning, Jews have been part of the city's civic, social, and mercantile life. Pioneer settlers began holding services in private homes in the 1840s, and by 1858 the community was sufficiently large enough to consecrate a Jewish cemetery and the first Jewish benevolent association, a forerunner of today's North Louisiana Jewish Federation. In 1859, the first congregation was founded.

In The Jewish Community of Shreveport the rich history of this influential and vibrant citizenry is chronicled by well-known Louisiana historian Eric J. Brock, archivist of Shreveport's B'nai Zion Temple. Nearly 18 decades of Jewish life in Shreveport are depicted in over 200 vintage images, many of which are previously unpublished. Both of the city's synagogues, B'nai Zion and Agudath Achim, are represented, as are many of the rabbis, business leaders, political leaders (including three mayors), and laypeople from the community's long history.

Nashville's Jewish community traces its beginning to 1795 with the birth of Sarah Myers, the first Jewish child born here. Her parents, Benjamin and Hannah Hays Myers, were both from prominent pre-Revolutionary War families in New England and stayed in Nashville just one year before moving to Virginia. The next few settlers--Simon Pollock, a doctor, in 1843; the Frankland family in 1845; Andrew Smolniker and Dr. H. Fischel, a dentist, in 1848; and E. J. Lyons in 1849--stayed only a few years before moving on to Memphis, New Orleans, or elsewhere. The first to stay and achieve prominence was Isaac Gershon (later changed to Garritsen), who in 1849 opened his home on South Summer Street for High Holy Day services and in 1851 formed the Hebrew Benevolent Burial Association, purchasing land that still serves as Nashville's Jewish cemetery. The first Jewish congregation, Mogen David, followed in 1854. The Jewish population of Nashville, which began with five families and eight young men in 1852, today numbers about 7,500.

In its over three hundred years of history, Charleston, South Carolina, has been known for many things. One of the most intriguing aspects of its past--and present--is its dynamic Jewish community.

Documented as part of the Lowcountry since the 1690s, Charleston Jews have contributed to the region, the nation and the world. In 1800, the city boasted the largest and wealthiest Jewish population in the country, and Charleston has been continually shaped by this significant group of men and women, both religious and secular, humble and heroic.

Here are their stories--both old and new--all intermixed with tales of historic buildings, congregations, religious movements and cemeteries, wonderfully told by preeminent Charleston Jewish historian Solomon Breibart. Collected from a lifetime of work, these explorations offer the reader a wealth of material: essays of historic significance, biographies, lists and chronologies, and telling vignettes that together suggest the rich mosaic of Jewish life that has been part of Charleston and the Lowcountry.

It's a tale told nowhere else, and no one could tell it better, or in such a lively way, than Solomon Breibart.

Only five months after Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe established the new colony of Georgia in 1733, pioneering Jewish settlers arrived at her shores. They landed in Savannah, where over the next several centuries they built a thriving community within one of the South's most revered cities. Savannah's Jewish citizenry, while a well-defined entity on its own, is also steeped in the rich, overall heritage of the area, contributing to every facet of civic, business, and cultural life. The Jewish Community of Savannah celebrates, in word and image, the colorful history of one of the nation's oldest established Jewish communities. Vintage photographs culled from the Savannah Jewish Archives, housed in the Georgia Historical Society, reveal what life was like in days gone by. Early twentieth-century scenes depict Savannah Jews not only in times of steadfast worship and engaged in earnest business efforts, but also in lighter moments of celebration and recreation. The three local congregations are all represented in this collection, including those practicing Reform Judaism (Congregation Mickve Israel), Orthodox Judaism (Congregation B'nai B'rith Jacob), and Conservative Judaism (Congregation Agudath Achim.) Many readers will be surprised and delighted to view images of their ancestors within this treasured volume.

A Lifeline from Darkness

 

More than a year before America entered World War II, a ship from Europe became one of the nation’s first and closest experiences with the wickedness of the Holocaust. As war raged across their homeland, dozens of Jews boarded the SS Quanza in the summer of 1940, desperate to escape Nazi evil. Tragically, the United States barred their entry. When Mexico denied them as well, it seemed that they would become the next victims of the Holocaust. But a lucky stop in Norfolk, Virginia, saved their lives. Sallie and Jacob Morewitz, lawyers who had fought for the Jewish community for years, rushed into court on their behalf, and Jewish and pro-refugee groups rallied to their cause. Even Eleanor Roosevelt stepped in. After many defeats, America welcomed them to a new, safe life.

Award-winning journalist Jason Norman unfolds this remarkable story of deliverance.

This first comprehensive history of the Jews of Florida from colonial times to the present is a sweeping tapestry of voices.

Despite not being officially allowed to live in Florida until 1763, Jewish immigrants escaping expulsions and exclusions were among the earliest settlers. They have been integral to every facet of Florida's growth, from tilling the land and developing early communities to boosting tourism and ultimately pushing mankind into space. The Sunshine State's Jews, working for the common good, have been Olympians, Nobel Prize winners, computer pioneers, educators, politicians, leaders in business and the arts and more, while maintaining their heritage to help ensure Jewish continuity for future generations. This rich narrative - accompanied by 700 images, most rarely seen - is the result of three-plus decades of grassroots research by author Marcia Jo Zerivitz, giving readers an incomparable look at the long and crucial history of Jews in Florida.

In 1539, explorer Hernando de Soto landed near Sarasota, Florida, but centuries passed before the Sarasota-Manatee area saw many settlers. By the late 1840s, a few pioneers had arrived, but it was not until 1913 that the first Jewish person settled here. Other Jewish families followed, but no organization connected them until the Jewish Community Center of Sarasota was established in 1925. For early Jewish settlers, the biggest problem was isolation rather than discrimination. By the 1950s, when the region was experiencing a post-war population boom, some of Sarasota's most prominent citizens were Jewish. They played an enormous role in creating Sarasota's businesses, charitable organizations, and cultural assets, including the David Cohen Hall and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The Jewish Community Council, a precursor of the Jewish Federation, formed in 1959. Sarasota-Manatee now has 13 Jewish congregations and a thriving Jewish population. While the Jewish people of the area cannot be thanked for the sunny weather, they can be thanked for helping the community shine.

Spanish explorers arrived in Tampa Bay in the 16th century.

Jews were first allowed to live in Florida in 1763 and less than 100 years later, Tampa became a city. The arrival of the railroad and the cigar industry in the 1890s attracted immigrants. Many were Jews, who helped propel growth, especially in Ybor City, where they owned more than 80 businesses. Over the decades, Jews participated in civic and Jewish organizations, the military, politics, and in developing Tampa as a sports center. Today, with about 23,000 Jews in Tampa, there are fifth-generation residents who represent the continuity of a people who contribute vibrancy to every area of the community.

Chattanooga is truly a city that reflects America's diverse history, possessing a rich, antebellum heritage combined with the energy and determination of the many brave immigrants who transformed this area from a traditional Southern town into a cosmopolitan center of the New South. One of Chattanooga's most important contributors, the Jewish
community has played an integral role in improving and diversifying the life and culture of this historic Tennessee town. In this volume of over 200 photographs, you will enjoy a celebration of the struggles, the stories of heroism and of common life, and the many successes of Chattanooga's Jewish citizens. Touching upon all aspects of Jewish life, the Jewish Community of Chattanooga will take you on an exciting visual tour of the Jewish experience with beautiful and rare photographs of different Life Cycle events, Hebrew-oriented schools, such as the Jewish Day School, Jewish cemeteries, past and present-day synagogues, and its people, including many families, prominent businesspersons, special achievers, and community and civic leaders.

Miami was among Florida's last communities to develop a Jewish population. Since the late 1800s, the area that was once just a settlement of frontiersmen has grown to become the core of the nation's third-largest Jewish community. Jews were prominent in business when Miami was chartered in 1896 and began settling in Miami Beach as early as 1913. Though faced with hardship and public discrimination, the immigrant group continued to expand its presence. Images of America: Jews of Greater Miami contains photographs from family albums that are part of the archives of the Jewish Museum of Florida. Each historic photograph tells a story and documents the area's pioneer Jews, the diverse ways they contributed to the development of their community, and the doors they opened for the acceptance of all ethnicities.