We wouldn’t have even know about the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, if it hadn’t been for our dear friends here in New Orleans. We were having dinner at their beautiful home in the Black Pearl neighborhood and they mentioned how much they enjoyed their visit there, and they’re not even Jewish. We vowed right then and there that we would be visiting while here The Big Easy!
Welcome to the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans, LA
Wall of Mezuzahs from the Mezuzah Society
Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience
Farm Bell circa 1900, belonging to Polish immigrant Julius Gamm, who came to the American South in 1890
If you go to their website, you will be welcomed with: “Shalom. Make yourself at home.” You don’t have to be Southern and you don’t have to be Jewish to visit the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. Come explore this unique side of Southern history and Jewish history.
Memorabilia from a bygone era
So now I am inviting you to come along with Steve and I, for our Jewish experience at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience.
The Mission
Silk wedding dress worn by Bertha Hirsch when she married Nathan Simmons of Galveston TX, in New Orleans in 1885.
The mission of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience is to explore how Jews in the American South influenced and were influenced by the distinct cultural heritage of their new land. The focus is on the unique and remarkable history of Southern Jews and the Museum encourages new understanding and appreciation for identity, diversity, and acceptance.
History
Victorian “crazy” quilt, made by the Jewish Ladies’ Sewing Circle in Canton, MS in 1885
Originally the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (MSJE) opened at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp, in Utica, MS, a summer camp for Jewish children in 1986. A vision of the camp director Macy B. Hart, along with a group of like-minded supporters, the Museum served as a location that supported the preservation of Jewish culture in the deep South.
Honoring Southern Synagogues
Unfortunately the Jacobs Camp site was closed in 2012. A search to identify the best location to relocate the Museum, with an eye toward reaching more people, Jewish and non-Jewish alike began. New Orleans was chosen as that ideal spot. It met the criteria of a city with a vibrant Jewish population, healthy tourism and one that didn’t already have a Jewish museum or cultural attraction. In addition Tulane University has a strong Jewish student population and a growing Jewish Studies program.
Shofars or Ram’s horns from Congregation Gates of Prayer and Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation, New Orleans, c. 1990s
Today, the Museum is an important educational facility, a vibrant center for cultural exploration and understanding, and a popular tourist destination. Attendance is estimated to be about 35,000 visitors annually.
Torah scroll and pointer from Congregation Knesseth Israel, Laurel, MS c. 1925
Though there may be differing views as to what is “The South”, the Museum covers 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Painted glass Judaic mobile soars to the sky
Viewed from the second floor looking down you can see how tall this mobile really is!
Of course there are many other Jewish museums across the United States, as well as a few in the South. The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience distinguishes itself by focusing on the entirety of Southern Jewish history. The Museum “serves as a historical and cultural entrée into why Jews came South, how they were received, their triumphs and tribulations, and their unique stories and accomplishments.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Float
Ruth Bader Ginsburg from 2019 Mardi Gras float of Krewe de Mishigas, New Orleans LA
Though not a southerner, Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the first Jewish woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. She was honored in 2019 with a float of the Krewe de Mishigas. Krewe de Mishigas is one of two Jewish parading groups in New Orleans. Each year they create floats during Carnival season that provide political, social and religious commentary in their themes. This very humorous one was designed by sculptor and Krewe Chief Diane Lundeen. And it was donated to the Museum in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by the Krewe de Mishigas
Maurice Schmidt Exhibit
Self Portrait by Maurice Schmidt, oil on linen, 1960
Torah Reading, 1986, oil on linen, by Maurice Schmidt
Texas artist Maurice Schmidt was born into a Jewish family in 1936. His family owned a clothing store in New Braunfels, TX. When he was growing up his family would travel to San Antonio once a year for the High Holiday season so they could meet up with other Jewish people from the small towns in the region. Services were held in a local hotel. It’s these memories that inspire his work.
Herdsmen are we, both we and thy fathers, 2012, oil on linen by Maurice Schmidt
Torah Procession – Bar Mitzvah, 1986, oil on linen, by Maurice Schmidt
He now lives with his wife Rebecca in Lakeway, Austin TX. And he continues to express his love for Texas through his artwork.
My own memories as the daughter of an immigrant
Keeping sacred traditions alive – lighting Shabbat candles.
Many of the items on display in the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, brought back a flood of memories of my grandparents and mom coming to America. Their experience was a northern one but paralleled just the same.
Modern day Tallis and yarmulke and Tefillin and bag from around 1920
My Bubie and Zeyda escaped from Kremenchug, Ukraine (Russia at that time) in 1921. My mother was two. My Bubie’s youngest sister had been raped by Cossacks. My Zeyda’s oldest brother, who was married to my Bubie’s older sister, was killed. They had a savior in America, Dr. Nathan Seidman, who lived in Philadelphia. He sponsored them, but first they needed to get to safety.
Travel Trunk circa 1900, similar to what my grandparents and mom brought all of their belongings in, in 1923
It took two years for them to get from their hometown to Southampton England to take the ship to America. The only thing my mother remembered was that an old man with a long white beard, lifted her up so she could see the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. They came through Ellis Island where their name was shortened from Abramovitz to Abrams. Nathan had rescued them and brought them to Philly, along with many other members of the family.
Cart used by immigrant Jewish peddlers in the South
The peddlers’ cart was likely pulled by a mule or horse
My Zeyda saved enough money to buy a push cart and he sold mens socks and women’s hosiery earning about $7/week. My Bubie made money as seamstress and she earned $12/week. Together, after a couple of years, they were able to save enough money to build a house with a store below it, at 703 South 4th Street for cash! Zeyda never believed in mortgages, credit cards or life insurance.
These GI cotton socks from WWII ignited a cute memory of my Zeyda’s days as a shop keeper in Philly.
It was at that store that the socks, in the photo above, sparked a memory. When I was about 2 1/2, my mom was helping my grandparents at the store just before Easter. As a precocious toddler, I greeted every man who came into the store with “Look mister, pure cotton!!!” Zeyda proudly retold that story so many times, that I don’t know if I really remember it, or just his rendition. But as soon as I saw those socks on display, I blurted out loud “Look mister, pure cotton”.
