Temple Beth Israel is still on Old Canton Rd in Jackson, not far from Colonial Country Club. How large and vibrant the congregation is I have no idea.
My crew and I have lived in the Memphis area for about 9 years now, and there is a significant population of folks whose family are historically of the Hebrew faith.
I have a good friend and former co-worker, Jewish fella from High Point, NC, who once explained to me how the stereotype of the “Jewish Merchant/Banker” came to be, and why you see concentrations of Jewish folks in places you might not otherwise expect. This is his perspective, but it certainly seems to me to be a credible explanation.
Paraphrasing, he said, “When the Hebrew people were itinerant, after the exile from the Holy Land, they found themselves wandering through areas dominated by Christians and then muslims. In many cases they weren’t allowed to own land, and since the early Christians and muslims couldn’t loan money amongst themselves and charge interest (it was considered usury), the Jewish people filled the vacuum. They became skilled at it, and the trade began to be passed between generations. So if you look around the world, and around the US, any place that there is significant commerce, or even places where ther once WAS significant commerce, you’re likely to find a concentration of Jews. Memphis, for instance, was a VERY significant cotton port and exchange. Don’t forget that Lehman Brothers was founded in Montgomery, Alabama.”
So, Natchez, Vicksburg, New Orleans. All make sense.
In Memphis, there is an enclave in the Eastern part of the city proper, around a temple... where it’s generally accepted that if your home is on one of the key footpath routes to Temple, people are going to walk right through your back yard on Saturdays. So I’m led to understand. And if you don’t want to deal with that, well, you move to another neighborhood.
Southern parts of Kansas City are heavily Jewish, as I recall. Can anybody back me up on that?
"Temple" is a term used exclusively by "Reform" Jews, and "Reform" Jews will drive on Shabbat.
Orthodox Jews, who have to walk on Shabbat, do not call their synagogues "temples."