Southern & Jewish

Land, Labor, Legacy: In Conversation with Southern Jewish Farmers

This legacy episode of Southern & Jewish originally aired on November 15, 2022. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, and watch all of our past episodes at www.isjl.org/podcast.html.
In celebration of the harvest season, Southern & Jewish is diving into the story of southern Jewish farmers. Some Jewish families have been doing this work for generations—including the Lamensdorfs, 4th-generation cotton farmers in the Mississippi Delta. Others, like Sam Humphrey of Fertile Ground Farms in Jackson, Mississippi, are young farmers whose work is connected to climate, food, and environmental justice. And organizations like the Jewish Farmer Network and Yesod Farm+Kitchen tie a progressive, religious thread into their work—connecting farming to themes of cultivation and connection to the land in the Jewish tradition.
 
Links from the episode:
Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities: www.isjl.org/encyclopedia-of-southern-jewish-communities
Fertile Ground Farms: https://www.facebook.com/fertilegroundfarmsjxn/  
Jewish Farmer Network: https://www.jewishfarmernetwork.org/
Shovels and Shofars zine: https://www.jewishfarmernetwork.org/product-page/shovels-and-shofars-zine
Jewish Farmer Network conference: https://www.jewishfarmernetwork.org/cc23
Yesod Farm+Kitchen: https://www.yesodfarm.org/
 
This project was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Mississippi Humanities Council.

In Conversation: Marcie Cohen Ferris and the Edible South

This legacy episode of Southern & Jewish originally aired on January 24, 2022. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, and watch all of our past episodes at www.isjl.org/podcast.html. 
Join Southern & Jewish for a live conversation with Marcie Cohen Ferris, author of Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South and The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Region. Marcie Cohen Ferris is professor emerita in the Department of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ferris’s research and teaching interests include southern history and culture—particularly the foodways and material culture of the American South, the history of the Jewish South, and American Jewish identity and culture. This interview was livestreamed on Facebook on Monday, January 24, 2022.
 
Links from our conversation:
Privilege and Prejudice: Jewish History in the American South, the Jewish South Summer Institute run by Dale Rosengarten at the College of Charleston in summer 2019 (https://jewishsouthsummer.cofc.edu/)
Jewish Farmer Network (https://www.jewishfarmernetwork.org/)
Michael Twitty (https://afroculinaria.com/)
Edible North Carolina (https://uncpress.org/book/97814696677...)
Learn more about Marcie Cohen Ferris (https://marciecohenferris.com/)
This project was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Mississippi Humanities Council.

Southern Jewish Restaurants

Join Southern & Jewish for a celebration of southern Jewish restaurants. In this episode, we're visiting these iconic businesses to learn about their histories, how they've changed over time, the central role they play in their communities, and, of course, the best things on their menus. This episode features Kosher Cajun, Rimon at Tulane Hillel, Kenny & Ziggy's, and Jackson's own Olde Tyme Deli.
This legacy episode of Southern & Jewish originally aired on June 29, 2021. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, and watch all of our past episodes at www.isjl.org/podcast.html.
Music credits: Porch Swing Days - faster by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song... License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Longest Year by Scott Holmes Music Link: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Sc... License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Sunshine (version 2) by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song... License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

From Ballyhoo to Bumble: Stories of Southern Jewish Romance

For southern Jews, romance has often been a fraught topic. Many southern and American Jews are deeply invested in endogamy (Jews marrying other Jews), which has manifested in a variety of rituals and traditions from social weekends like Ballyhoo in Atlanta to Jewish summer camp to the modern advent of dating apps. Historically and in the present, southern Jews have found romantic partners within and beyond the Jewish community. Along with leading scholars doing important work on the history of Jewish continuity discourse and Jewish summer camp, we use a critical lens to unpack the complications and sometimes dark realities of institutions and attitudes that enforce endogamy.
This project was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Mississippi Humanities Council.
This legacy episode of Southern & Jewish originally aired on February 22, 2022. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, and watch all of our past episodes at www.isjl.org/podcast.html.

Summer (Camp) Magic

Summer camp season is coming to an end, and we're diving into stories of southern Jewish camping. Join us as we reminisce about our home away from home. Whether you grew up at Jewish summer camp or not, you can find some summer magic in these stories.
This legacy episode  of Southern & Jewish originally aired on September 8, 2020. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, and watch all of our past episodes at https://www.isjl.org/podcast.html.
 

In Conversation: Lowen on Making Music in the Jewish South

Meet Lowen, a Nashville-based producer, songwriter, and artist whose fluid indie rock songs are shaped by her experiences as a world traveler, touring artist, and south Florida native. For the latest episode of the Southern & Jewish podcast, we spoke about her creative process, the ways in which Jewishness inflects her music, and the transition to life in Nashville.
 
Links from the episode:
Lowen: https://www.earthtolowen.com
Lowen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4fB4kEtCb6T9qYNJIeFemW
Enlightened or Whatever podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOXQ5adf12tGtt9AqyU5F3UCJExB9BEut
Learn more about Southern & Jewish and watch all of our past episodes: https://www.isjl.org/podcast.html

Welcome to Southern & Jewish

Welcome to Southern & Jewish, a video podcast from the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL). Formerly the ISJL Virtual Vacation, Southern & Jewish shares stories of southern Jewish history and culture, featuring experts from across the region.
Southern & Jewish introduces you to the South’s vibrant cultural heritage, the big themes of southern Jewish history, the folks working to advance social justice in the South, and our region’s natural beauty, music, and food. There’s so much to explore—join us for stories from the Jewish South.
Watch all of our episodes for free on demand on YouTube and the Southern & Jewish website, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to listen on the go. Learn more at www.isjl.org/podcast.