Georgia Historic Newspapers – Page 11

Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday) from the Digital Library of Georgia this Shavuot.

From Sunday, May 16 to Tuesday, May 18, Jewish people worldwide observe the holiday of Shavuot fifty days after the first day of Passover. On Passover, the people of Israel were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh; on Shavuot, they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.

The word “Shavuot” means “weeks.”

Across the Jewish diaspora, the holiday is celebrated by going to synagogue to hear the Ten Commandments, having festive meals of dairy foods, which may include cheesecake, blintzes, or kugels, and reading the Book of Ruth.

The Jerusalem Post just published an article by the writer David Geffen on this holiday. Geffen notes that the Daily News and Herald (Savannah, Ga.) and the Atlanta Georgian and News both refer to the holiday as “The Feast of Weeks,” and explores the initiation of confirmation in Reform Jewish temples in the United States. These confirmations were held on or around Shavuot. The article also includes engaging photographs held by The Breman Museum in Atlanta. Both articles represent Georgia’s established Jewish communities in Savannah and Atlanta.

The two newspaper articles, available through the DLG’s Georgia Historic Newspapers site are here:

description of "The Feast of Weeks" in The Daily News and Herald — “The Feast of Weeks” in *The Daily News and Herald*
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85026946/1868-05-27/ed-1/seq-3 /
*The Daily News and Herald*. (Savannah, Ga.) 1866-1868, May 27, 1868, Image 3

"Feast of Weeks Observed by Ceremony of Temple Confirmation Class" in the Atlanta Georgian and News — “Feast of Weeks Observed by Ceremony of Temple Confirmation Class” in the Atlanta Georgian and News https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053728/1907-05-20/ed-1/seq-7/
Atlanta Georgian and News. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1912, May 20, 1907, Image 7

Happy holiday!

The Digital Library of Georgia (DLG) is pleased to announce that it has completed the digitization of two historically significant Georgia African American newspapers as part of a National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The digital images will be included in the Library of Congress’ newspaper site: Chronicling America http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ and the DLG’s own site: Georgia Historic Newspapers (GHN), http://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/.

“NEH grants help strengthen and sustain American cultural life, in communities, at museums, libraries, and historic sites, and in classrooms,” said former NEH Chairman Jon Parrish Peede. “As the nation prepares to commemorate its 250th anniversary in 2026, NEH is proud to help lay the foundations for public engagement with America’s past by funding projects that safeguard cultural heritage and advance our understanding of the events, ideas, and people that have shaped our nation.”

The newspapers include:

Savannah Tribune, 1886-1888 – Founded in 1875, the Tribune, except for two hiatuses, is one of the longest-running African American newspapers in the South. https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn84020323/
Athens Republique, 1921-1924 – From 1919 until its cessation in 1927, the Republique served the African American community in Athens and surrounding towns. https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/2012233098/

Featured images:

*Savannah Tribune* of November 10, 1888, celebrates Republican Benjamin Harrison’s presidential victory: https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn84020323/1888-11-10/ed-1/seq-1/

*Athens Republique* of January 7, 1922, covers Athens’ 59th Anniversary of Emancipation celebration and looks back on Booker T. Washington’s legacy: https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/2012233098/1922-01-07/ed-1/seq-1/

The GHN website also includes several other African American newspaper titles published in Georgia ranging from 1867-2018 that were digitized as part of previous grant-funded projects. These titles can be browsed through at https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/types/#africanamerican

African American newspapers from across the country can be found in the Chronicling America website at https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/newspapers/?state=&ethnicity=African+American

About the National Endowment for the Humanities

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.

Twitter: @nehgov

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Tag: Georgia Historic Newspapers

The Jerusalem Post observes Shavuot, the “Feast of Weeks” with Georgia Historic Newspapers

Historic Georgian African American newspapers dating from 1886-1926 are now available freely online, thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities