Jews in early Mississippi

by Leo Turitz

Who were the Jews who came to Mississippi in the early years of statehood? Why did they come? What endowment did they leave as they contributed to the enrichment of Mississippi life? Answers to these and many other questions are given in this collection of vintage photographs and commentaries compiled and written by Rabbi and Mrs. Turitz. Their collection of more than 400 photographs depicting the history of Mississippi Jewry between the 1840s and 1900 is organized geographically, beginning in southwest Mississippi. Here Jewish influence was perhaps strongest in early times. From these communities Jews followed trade routes upriver through Natchez, Vicksburg, and the Delta, and throughout the state. These Jews left a heritage of major business concerns, including nationally known hotels and department stores. Their interest in religion, education, and the arts enriched towns and communities with schools, temples, and opera houses. In the Turitzes' account of Mississippi Jewry there are