A panoramic history of the Jewish American South, from European colonization to today
In 1669, the Carolina colony issued the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, which offered freedom of worship to "Jews, heathens, and other dissenters," ushering in an era that would see Jews settle in cities and towns throughout what would become the Confederate States. The Jewish South tells their stories, and those of their descendants and coreligionists who followed, providing the first narrative history of southern Jews.
Drawing on a wealth of original archival findings spanning three centuries, Shari Rabin sheds new light on the complicated decisions that southern Jews made-as individuals, families, and communities-to fit into a society built on Native land and enslaved labor and to maintain forms of Jewish difference, often through religious innovation and adaptation. She paints a richly textured and sometimes troubling portrait of the period, exploring how southern Jews have been targets of antisemitism and violence but also complicit in racial injustice. Rabin considers Jewish immigration and institution building, participation in the Civil War, the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank, and Jewish support for and resistance to the modern fight for Black civil rights. She examines shifting understandings of Jewishness, highlighting both the reality of religious diversity and the ongoing role of Christianity in defining the region.
Recovering a neglected facet of the American experience, The Jewish South enables readers to see the South through the eyes of people with a distinctive religious heritage and a southern history older than the United States itself.
| ISBN: | 9780691292328 |
| Publication date: | 3rd November 2026 |
| Author: | |
| Publisher: | Princeton University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 296 pages |
| Genres: |
Social and cultural history Judaism History of the Americas |
A panoramic history of the Jewish American South, from European colonization to todayIn 1669, the Carolina colony issued the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, which offered freedom of worship to "Jews, heathens, and other dissenters," ushering in an era that would see Jews settle in cities and towns throughout what would become the Confederate States. The Jewish South tells their stories, and those of their descendants and coreligionists who followed, providing the first narrative history of southern Jews.Drawing on a wealth of original archival findings spanning three centuries, Shari Rabin sheds new light on the complicated decisions that southern Jews made-as individuals, families, and communities-to fit into a society built on Native land and enslaved labor and to maintain forms of Jewish difference, often through religious innovation and adaptation.
features in the following genres: Social and cultural history, Judaism, History of the Americas
Hardback, Paperback, Book, Board book, Ebook, . £17.09, down from the £18.99 cover price. Not Available.
was written by and published by Princeton University Press
has 296 pages
£17.09, reduced from £18.99. Not Available.