[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

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A rural phenom not limited to the Jewish community

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

A friend of mine in Los Angeles used to work in for one who hailed from a small town in MIssissippi. Called himself a Swamp Jew.

[clintonh8r]

I went to a prominent private southern university in the 60s. I had a lot of jewish friends there, and I was always surpried by how many were from small towns in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. Until then, I had always just assumed there weren’t any Jews in the south, except for the major cities.

[jjotto]

There were comparatively many Jews in South Carolina before 1700! And not just in Charleston, but in a number of small towns as well.

[Montanabound]

Interesting. My step-mother-in-law grew up in Maryville, Louisiana. They were the only Jewish family, the parents being Russian immigrants who started with a peddler’s cart and eventually built a store. None of the great-grandchildren live there, though a few reside in larger cities in Louisiana.

[SeeSharp]

The Secretary of State of the Confederacy was a Jew. Judah Benjamin.

[dfwgator]

Southern Jews a Dying Breed as Small-Town Communities Dwindle Fast

Isn't Miami Beach in the "South"?

[Stepan12]

Judah Benjamin was called the heart and brains of the Confederacy. Fronthall (sp) was a great Confederate hero.

[vetvetdoug]

In NE Mississippi the Jewish community built several businesses and stately homes that still stand today. Unfortunately, the Jewish people have left the area and the community is poorer for it. The Jewish community gave the citizens direction and organization. The last Jewish people in Corinth left during the 1960’s.

[KC_Lion]

You know more about that part of the country than I do Ping.

[wardaddy]

I’ve told folks about this for years

Antebellum.....Sephardi Jews.....prospered and had lots of freedom

And even pursued agriculture and husbandry

But PC youth don’t want to know about it ...

Anyhow....lotsa old temples round Dixie dating from 18th century forward

I have been in and taken pics of a number

Largest Jewish population until 1830s was Charleston and New Orleans.....in North America

[MeanWestTexan]

This is true.

I was back in Texas (San Angelo) to see my mom for the high holidays and our synagogue barely scraped up a male minyan, and that included me who is pretty much a heretic.

I was pretty sad about it. About 1/2 of my classmates have intermarried (I married an Israeli at least) and are following their spouse’s faith, 1/3 just moved away to Dallas or Houston or wherever, and 1/3 just stopped coming.

There is one young family and I can tell they are temporary in town.

[JimRed]

The Orthodox, who typically have large families, would do a better job of keeping the Jewish population level up.