Mississippi Observes 39th Anniversary of Murders of Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner

Jackson, MS, Clarion-Ledger ^ | 06-23-03 | Mitchell, Jerry

[Theodore R.]

PHILADELPHIA, MS

[Alouette]

Small item on Andrew Goodman's younger brother:

On the other side of the planet, in Israel, on that same day of 12 Tammuz, a Lubavitcher chasid with a long beard lit a candle and went to shul to say Kaddish for his brother Andy. Jonathan Goodman became religiously introspective, several years after Andy's death, and wondered what it "really" meant to be a Jew. His answer led him to Chasidism and emigration to Israel's Kfar Chabad, where he lives with his wife and seven children. Andy was never even given a Hebrew name but his posthumous niece and nephews are Ruth Chana, Aaron Zev, Kalman, Menachem, Shimon.

More here

[dixiechick2000]

"The Southern Jews felt compelled to side with their fellow Yankee Jews who were being attacked or murdered down South and then that of course gave the Klan the chance to bomb a few Temples. I believe in Meridian though...the local Sherrif...no fan of freedom riders himself....took a Dem view of buffoons trying to kill Jews and actually went to the trouble to set some Klan boys up trying to bomb a local prominant Jews home and caught them in the act and basically executed the culprits on sight...one might have been a woman even (Ainsworth)...one of my many family names."

I remember the summer of '68 pretty well. The Klan were fire bombing the black churches and the local synagogue, which was a couple of blocks through the woods behind my house. My family heard the explosion, and went to check it out. Me? I didn't hear a thing...slept right through it. There was, also, a black church right behind my house that my parents watched over. It was a precious little church, with a small congregation, that was in the country before Meridian grew out to it. We really didn't want anything to happen to it.

I really don't remember Jewish sentiment at that time...they weren't very vocal about it that I noticed. Sheriff Birdsong was the sheriff at that time, I think, and, you are right...there was no love lost for the freedom riders, but he didn't like the idea of Jews being targeted for death more. IIRC, they recieved a tip that the Davidsons, whose daughter is a year younger than I am, were targeted. As they were checking out his house, they found enough dynamite to blow up the entire block in the back seat of their daughter's Camaro. Luckily, they were able to take care of it before it exploded. I'm not sure, but I seem to remember that the perps tried to set off the bomb by firing shots through the rear of her car. In any case, they caught up with the perps, who led LEOs on a car chase and a shootout. I can't remember how many people were involved, but I do remember some, and maybe all, of them were killed in that shootout.

That was a memorable summer. I sure was glad when it was over.

[wardaddy]

Yes...

Most Southern Jews...being Southern(I know Jews who sent their kids to Council schools) stayed out of the squabble between the SPLC/SCLC/Freedom Riders and the Klan/WCC/SSC etc until they found themselves guilty by association with the preponderance of Jews in the Freedom Rider ranks.

The Klan considered them collaborators and since they were Jewish that made it easier...but the Klan also targeted Southern Non-Jewish Whites who were symapthetic to civil rights.....a friend of my dad's had his home leveled by a bomb in Jackson. Ironically, his grandaughter was later carjacked and killed by black thugs in the early 90s.

I remember reading that the Meridian sherrif who was pretty damned tuff, knew about the bomb plot and waited with his select group of deputies purposedly to show the Klan that they could not operate in his town as they saw fit.

They waited to pounce at the right time and gave no quarter but I think one (maybe the snitch) survived....I'm pretty sure the woman driver was killed.

Oh...well...like i said the reality was a bit more complicated than the movie..lol (not really funny)

Did you know Sela Ward?

[dixiechick2000]

"Did you know Sela Ward?"

She and my sister were the same age, and were friends. They went to Lamar Academy together, and graduated in a whopping big class of 45.

[wardaddy]

Mississippi is a small world.

[bourbon]

WD, you mentioned Sela Ward therefore I MUST provide pictures. It's FR protocol, y'know. ;-)

I love Sela b/c not only is she a Mississippian, but she also is a graduate of the Univ. of Alabama.



(Whew! That picture makes my knees quiver!!)

[wardaddy]

I'm a Bama fan too....especially now.

[dixiechick2000]

Yessir...it sure is.

[dixiechick2000]

My sister said she is not only beautiful, but she is sweet and very down to earth.

Given all the gifts she's been given, she could have been a real...

[wardaddy]

sad to say....

....no skimpy Sela shots exists anywhere I could mine...sigh

...an inspiration for all late 40s chicks...er...women...er...ladies.

[oyez]

Were you ever asked if we wore shoes? I was...;o)

With all the gravel roads, we had to wear shoes.

[oyez]

'Bama! Good lord. Ah, just as well. If she had been at Ole Miss in the mid '70's she wouldn't have much to cheer about.

[bourbon]

Dumb (but funny) Joke:
A northerner visits the South and sees a Southerner walking happily down the side of the road, wearing only one shoe. Perplexed, the Northerner asks the Southerner if he lost a shoe somewhere. The Southerner replies, "No, I found one!"