Jewish history in Georgia

The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, begins at sundown. Meaning “dedication” in Hebrew, the observance celebrates the miracle Jews believe occurred in the Holy Temple when their lamp oil, which they thought would last only one day, provided them with eight days of light. Image of Southern Israelite: established in 1925 as a temple bulletin it also covered news about Jewish people from around the nation and the world. The history, struggle and culture of Jews living in Georgia is represented in the DLG. The most notable resource is the Southern Israelite: established in 1925 as a temple bulletin it also covered news about Jewish people from around the nation and the world. In 1934, the paper began weekly publication. One of the most significant stories it would report on was the Atlanta Temple bombing in 1958 (left). The publication continues today as the Atlanta Jewish Times. Photograph of Charles Garfunkel, First Jewish Chief of Police, Savannah The Vanishing Georgia collection documents Jewish citizenry, many of whom located in small towns to operate mercantile businesses and made contributions through civic involvement, including Charles Garfunkel, who was the first Jewish police chief in Savannah (right).

Also documented in Vanishing Georgia is the aftermath of the Leo Frank episode, including a 1915 photograph of the tadalafil governor hung in effigy after commuting Frank’s death sentence. Frank’s appeal for clemency is chronicled in archival records from the Secretary of State’s office.

Photograph of Temple Mickve Israel (Savannah, Ga.), John Linley Collection, box 8
Temple Mickve Israel (Savannah, Ga.), John Linley Collection, box 8

Georgia’ s temples are represented in the John Linley Collection of historic architecture, including the Temple Mickve Israel (left) in Savannah, home to the third oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, and the oldest in the South.

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DLG in the news

As we sort the rubble of turkey carcasses and pie tins looking for motivation to return to work, a couple of news items about the Digital Library of Georgia.

1. The Civil Rights Digital Library has been awarded 2010 Schwartz Prize for excellence in the public humanities by the Federation of State Humanities Councils. Read the University of Georgia press release here.

The second Schwartz Prize goes to an initiative to deliver education content on the civil rights movement via the web. This online library contains 30 hours (about 450 clips) of historical news footage, a civil rights portal that allows users to access material on the movements from 100 libraries and organizations nationwide, and instructional video.

Photograph of Sheila McAlister2. Sheila McAlister – data wrangling librarian by day, polka dotted roller derby queen by night – is profiled in the University of Georgia Columns. Learn a bit about the DLG’s Associate Director and her role in making the DLG a successful enterprise.

“One of my favorite things about this job is figuring out how to do a project—the planning. In reviewing grant proposals, you pull it apart, ask if it’s feasible, will it have an impact? I really enjoy that analysis,” McAlister said. “I also make suggestions to applicants on how to improve their projects.”

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