213:. The first merchant was John Mayer, who arrived in 1841 from New Orleans and worked as a tailor and merchant in Natchez for multiple decades. He was followed by fellow Jewish merchants in Natchez, including Solomon Schatz, Solomon Bloom (or Solomon Blum), David Moses, Aaron Beekman, I. David, Joseph Tillman, and Simon Adler. Towards the end of the 19th century other Jewish professions came to Natchez, included A.H. Geisenberg, a surgeon; Sim H. Lowenburg, an attorney; Julius Lemkowitz, an attorney; and Cassius Tillman, a
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274:. In the post-war society, merchants became socially important which gained the Jewish Natchez population social and political power. By the late 19th century, Natchez had roughly a 5% Jewish population, which was significantly higher than other places in the state of Mississippi. By 1877, there were 28 Jewish-owned shops in Natchez, making up more than half the dry goods and cotton-buying operations in the city.
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which used enslaved labor, was a 18th-century Jewish resident of
Natchez. In 1798, Jews conducted orthodox services in Natchez, and they had a cemetery on S. Canal Street. Under the Spanish rule, Natchez went from growing tobacco and cattle farming to growing cotton, something that continued for the
263:, and two of John Mayer's daughters marrying two of the sulters. By 1862, Natchez was under the Union Army control, with relatively small amount of property damage or physical violence. One Natchez Jewish causality from the war was Rosalie Beekman, the 7 year old daughter of merchant Aaron Beekman.
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starts before the 1840s, and most likely precedes verifiable records. By the late 19th century, the Jewish population of
Natchez reached roughly 5%, which was higher than other places in the state of Mississippi. Many of these Jewish residents co-mingled with the local white non-Jewish planters and
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Around 1907, the boll weevil arrived in
Natchez, decimating the cotton crops. Several Jewish businesses closed in the following years, and synagogue lost members. From 1913 to 1950, the synagogue struggled with holding a rabbi. By 1927, Natchez had one-third of the Jewish population found at its
303:. By 1936, there were nineteen businesses in Natchez under Jewish ownership, including Geisenberger & Friedler, Abrams Department Store, and Krouse Pecan Co.. Jewish resident Saul Laub served as mayor of Natchez, from 1929 to 1934. In 1935, Jewish resident Jane Wexler served as queen of the
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In 1903, a fire broke out at the Temple B’nai Israel, and the Jewish congregation made plans for a new synagogue. The
Natchez Methodist congregation allowed the Jewish congregation worship in their church temporarily, while many affluent white Christians from the city donated to the synagogue’s
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on the corner of
Franklin Street and Pearl Street, where they hosted balls, dances, billiards, and other social events in the 1890s. The Prentiss Club was an all-male social club which allowed Jewish members on the corner of Pearl Street and Jefferson Street.
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From 1899 to 1914, Rabbi
Seymour Bottigheimer from Virginia led the Natchez congregation, which provided the first stable rabbi in the community. The peak of the Natchez Jewish population by numbers happened in 1902, with 450 residents.
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peak, with only 150 Jewish residents. In 1927, Isadore Levy (who was from New
Orleans, and born to a Jewish father but did not practice Judaism) and his sons built the Eola Hotel in Natchez, which remained open until the
139:, which barred Jewish residents from the French North American colonies. It is thought that most likely Jewish settlers came to Natchez during the time period of the French, as the laws were not always enforced.
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Jews were not major landowners in
Natchez, and tended to not own large quantities of enslaved people. However Jacob Soria, was a Natchez Jew who owned a human commodity auction house that sold enslaved people.
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255:, Natchez Jews usually supported the Confederate States Army with many joining the cause. Simon Mayer became a major in the Confederate States Army. A few of the Natchez Jews formed close social ties with the
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in
Natchez congregation was formed in 1840, and the temple was built in 1905. By the 1870s, Temple B'nai Israel in Natchez was also the largest Jewish congregation in the state, and one-third of all
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After the emancipation of enslaved Black people in
Natchez, the city experienced rapid change. Plantation owners sold their land in order to secure cash, and the plantation system switched to
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next century. Cotton farming required more labor, and was often worked by enslaved African people; and by the early 19th century Natchez became a major site for the slave trade.
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A group of German-speaking immigrants who were merchants purchased land for a cemetery in Natchez in 1840. The group was led by Moses Hasan and Joseph Deutch, and established a
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It is unclear when the earliest Jewish settlers arrived in Natchez, but it was most likely during the colonial period in the early 18th century. In 1722, the French of the
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235:(Jewish burial society) in Natchez. Around 1860, the group disbanded for a year due to the upcoming war. In the late 18th century, Jewish residents were holding Jewish
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rebuild fund. The new Temple B’nai Israel building was completed in 1905, with a reported 600 people in attendance including Jewish people from surrounding cities.
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By the 1940s, Temple B’nai Israel only had roughly 90 members, with majority of members living in Natchez and some of the members coming from nearby
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in Utica, Mississippi (now in New Orleans) offered historical tours of Jewish Natchez, which were mentioned in a 1998 newspaper article in
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The majority of the Natchez residents that were Jewish had immigrated during a second period of immigration in the early 19th century from
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ISJL - Mississippi Natchez Encyclopedia, Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
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Henry Jacobs, the first Jewish immigrant and resident to receive U.S. citizenship in the 1790s
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Builders of a New South: Merchants, Capital, and the Remaking of Natchez, 1865–1914
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businesses in the city of Natchez were owned by members of this temple.
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By 2010, only around a dozen Jewish residents still lived in Natchez.
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567:"Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Natchez, Mississippi"
338:. By 1979, less than thirty families still attended the synagogue.
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landowners, some Natchez Jews even owned slaves and fought in the
696:. Mississippi State University Extension Service. Archived from
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of the city and which awarded royal court titles in a pageant.
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imposed Jewish voting restrictions. Benjamin Monsanto, of the
684:"The Boll Weevil in Mississippi: Gone But Not Forgotten"
740:"Traveling rabbi serves tiny Southern congregations"
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612:. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 11–13.
178:19th century: commerce, and the American civil war
417:History of the Jews in the Southern United States
368:Saul Laub, former mayor of Natchez from 1929–1935
1297:Historic Jewish communities in the United States
307:, a Confederate–themed festival celebrating the
205:(then a territory of the German Empire) and the
606:Turitz, Leo; Turitz, Evelyn (1983). "Natchez".
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191:Natchez-On-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District
661:. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 399.
638:The Concordia Sentinel (Vidalia, Louisiana)
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640:. August 20, 1975. p. 23 – via
217:, county treasurer, and tobacco merchant.
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798:History of the Jews in the United States
634:"Natchez Jewish Temple Serves Concordia"
427:Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience
422:History of the Jews in the United States
348:Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience
738:Wagster Pettus, Emily (April 2, 2010).
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573:. February 24, 2022. Archived from
1229:Commercial Bank and Banker's House
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655:Anderson, Aaron D. (2013-01-23).
363:List of notable Jews from Natchez
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161:The 18th century Spanish of the
1312:Jews and Judaism in Mississippi
1307:Jewish-American history by city
1302:History of Natchez, Mississippi
277:The Standard Club was a Jewish
462:Moses, Jennifer (1998-09-20).
122:18th century: the colonial era
1:
1196:Natchez-Adams School District
1260:Natchez–Adams County Airport
692:Mississippi State University
25:Ethnic groups in Mississippi
682:Layton, Blake (June 2014).
464:"The Lost Tribe of Natchez"
251:During the outbreak of the
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609:Jews in Early Mississippi
301:Wall Street Crash of 1929
719:Mississippi Encyclopedia
1208:Alcorn State University
169:, and the owner of the
116:Confederate States Army
108:history of the Jews in
1234:Natchez–Vidalia Bridge
1023:Southern United States
211:Natchez Under-the-Hill
197:Early Jewish community
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133:French colonial empire
127:French colonial empire
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171:Glenfield Plantation
163:Kingdom of New Spain
152:Glenfield Plantation
143:Kingdom of New Spain
110:Natchez, Mississippi
39:Chinese in the Delta
1201:Natchez High School
577:on February 4, 2024
222:Temple B'nai Israel
187:Temple B'Nai Israel
19:Part of a series on
469:The New York Times
395:Mississippi portal
353:The New York Times
346:In the 1990s, the
305:Natchez Pilgrimage
253:American Civil War
247:American civil war
239:prayer services.
207:Kingdom of Bavaria
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159:
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1244:St. Mary Basilica
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703:on March 5, 2021.
694:Extension Service
668:978-1-62846-772-7
619:978-0-87805-178-6
372:Benjamin Monsanto
156:Benjamin Monsanto
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715:"Pilgrimage"
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698:the original
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579:. Retrieved
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827:California
279:social club
1291:Categories
1180:Natchezers
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1016:Charleston
1001:Pittsburgh
969:Cincinnati
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483:2024-07-22
434:References
332:Waterproof
259:'s Jewish
257:Union Army
226:mercantile
137:Black Code
59:Vietnamese
1222:Landmarks
1189:Education
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1068:Milwaukee
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1127:City of
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952:New York
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878:Illinois
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861:southern
857:Florida
381:See also
328:Ferriday
44:Italians
1166:Culture
1162:Economy
1147:History
1129:Natchez
1053:Houston
1038:Brenham
920:Detroit
883:Chicago
871:Atlanta
823:Arizona
316:Fayette
261:sutlers
189:in the
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818:Alaska
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334:, and
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237:minyan
1170:Media
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701:(PDF)
687:(PDF)
964:Ohio
663:ISBN
614:ISBN
474:ISSN
320:Bude
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220:The
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