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The Oral History Project is part of
an ongoing project of the Jewish
Historical Society of Memphis &
the Mid-south (JHSMM)
and
the Temple Israel Archives.
It is carried out by volunteer members who collect interviews
with individuals in the Memphis Jewish community.
One
portion of the collection is comprised of interviews done by Selma
Lewis for her 1998 book, A Biblical People in the Bible Belt,
on the Jewish community of Memphis 1840s through 1960s. It also
contains interviews of individuals involved in the
community and/or who have significant knowledge of its past. Some of
the interviews have multiple dates which means the same names were
included in the second portion but not listed separately.
Additonal interviews will be added as they become available.
Click
here to access current listings of available Interviews.
The
Exodus Project, documented the story of Jews who came to Memphis
from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) during the latter part of the 20th
and early 21st century. Volunteers recorded the stories of the people
who helped in their resettlement during and after the great Soviet
Jewry Movement to free Soviet Jews. On October 15, 2015, the
Memphis Jewish Federation’s Fedovation Committee approved a generous
grant to the Jewish Historical Society of Memphis and the Mid-South
(JHSMM) for The Exodus Project, led by Lynnie Mirvis, to collect these
stories. Seventh and eighth graders from Bornblum Jewish Community
School, the Margolin Hebrew Academy (MHA) and throughout the Jewish
community played a role in the project along with adult volunteers who
helped to interview participants, connect and listen to their stories
and record their findings. Through this experience they learned about
this important era in Jewish history, understanding the impact of a
communal effort, as well as the mitzvah of hospitality and welcoming
newcomers and immigrants.
The
Exodus Project is a collaboration of the Jewish Historical Society of
Memphis and the
Mid-South, Bornblum Jewish Community School, Jewish Family Service at
the MJCC, MHA, Memphis Jewish Community Center, Plough Towers and
Temple Israel Archives.
Click Here to
access listings of the Exodus Project Interviews.
The Rhodes College
"Crossroads to Freedom Oral History Collection" is
a collection of more than 300
oral histories
conducted or filmed by the Crossroads to Freedom team of Rhodes
College. In these twelve interviews from the collection, members of
the Memphis Jewish community discuss a range of topics including Stax
Records, the Civil Rights Movement, the life and assassination of Dr.
Martin Luther King, education, integration, race relations, and local
neighborhood histories.
Click here  to access the Rhodes College
"Crossroads to Freedom Oral History Collection".
IF
YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT the Temple Israel Archives:
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