By Ann Glazer Niren
Guest Columnist
As Community reported in a previous issue, I recently accepted a position at the Filson Historical Society as its new Curator of Jewish Collections. My job embraces several core components: maintaining and growing our Jewish Community Archive, community outreach, creating programming, working with scholars and students on a variety of Jewish subjects, and supervising interns and volunteers. I am happy to report that I have jumped into these activities with both feet in my nearly two months on the job.
One of my first tasks after I completed my onboarding was to immerse myself in all aspects of the Southern Jewish Historical Society Conference. This year, the SJHS is holding its annual meeting in Louisville, the first time it’s ever taken place in Kentucky. The theme is “Home and Belonging in the Jewish South.” Dozens of scholars from the U.S. and abroad will descend on our fair city Friday, Nov. 1 through Sunday, Nov. 3. My friend and predecessor, Dr. Abby Glogower, initiated the idea of bringing this conference to the Filson, and I am very grateful for her diligent work on this project over the past year. In addition, the Jewish Heritage Fund provided a generous grant that helped make the convention possible.
Ann Glazer Niren, Curator of Jewish Collections at the Filson Historical Society
Most of the presentations will be at the Filson Historical Society, 1310 South Third Street in Old Louisville. The Nov. 1 sessions include papers on medicine, slavery, and the Holocaust. That afternoon, attendees will board busses for a program entitled “History Close to Home: An Evening at the Temple.” First, everyone will participate in a tour of The Temple’s archives, one of the most complete and extensive collections of any synagogue in Kentucky. Rabbi Joe Rooks Rapport, Rabbi Emeritus at The Temple, explained the significance of this magnificent compendium of artifacts, books, and manuscripts:
“The Temple Archives is a museum quality, climate controlled, 1,000 square foot space – a permanent holding of historic materials chronicling the significant people, places, and events of the past 180 years since its establishment as Kentucky’s first Jewish congregation in 1843. The Temple Archives contains holdings on its history, rabbis, and lay leaders, as well as its leadership in the broader community. As a synagogue at the forefront of the development of Reform Judaism in America, the expansion of the role of women in congregational life, and the engagement in community affairs, The Temple Archives offers a wealth of material to scholars and the broader public alike.”
On a recent visit to The Temple, I was fortunate to sneak a preview of this special place, and I was not disappointed. I was especially intrigued by several Torah scrolls which survived the Holocaust, and by early prayerbooks of Reform Judaism. Rabbi Rooks Rapport and Jennifer Sinski, Archives Committee Chair, are to be commended for their assiduous work in maintaining the history of their congregation and the greater Louisville Jewish community.
After the archival tour, we will enjoy a lovely Shabbat meal, followed by Dr. Emily Bingham giving the Beeber Family Keynote Lecture, sponsored by the Helen Stern Fund. Bingham will speak about her latest book, My Old Kentucky Home: The Astonishing Life and Reckoning on an Iconic American Song (Knopf, 2022), which explores the many ways in which our Kentucky state song and its attendant history are mired in fallacies and misinformation. There will be a question-and-answer session after her talk, followed by a Shabbat evening service and a delicious Oneg.
On the morning of Nov. 2, conference attendees will have three options: morning services and Torah study led by long-time Filson volunteer Rabbi Stanley Miles; a tour of the Filson, led by Filson staff; and a tour of Old Louisville, especially Ouerbacker Court, home to many 20th century Jewish families. Economic inclusion consultant and former Filson Community Fellow, Amy Shir, will lead this tour, which will be repeated in the afternoon. Following sessions on the Confederacy and investigations of individual Louisville Jewish families, Dr. Lawrence J. Kanter, assisted by Mark K. Bauman, will present the conference’s keynote address. By late afternoon, when we may need a pick-me-up, we will enjoy bourbon tastings. What is more representative of Kentucky than bourbon, but is it Jewish? Actually, yes. Historically, Jews, such as philanthropist Isaac Bernheim, have played a key role in this industry in our state. On the evening of Nov. 2, Grace Rogers and Nathan Viner will present a concert of Appalachian and Jewish music at the Louisville Women’s Club. Like Shir, Viner was a Filson Community History Fellow.
The conference concludes on Nov. 3 with an SJHS membership meeting and a roundtable dealing with “Oral Histories and the Southern Jewish Experience.” After a full schedule of events, attendees will return to their respective homes, having fed their minds, bodies, and souls, and having made new friends and connections. Hopefully, they can return to our River City and the Filson another time for further research.
For more information on the conference, go to filsonhistorical.org/sjhs2024. If you are just interested in attending the Friday night event at the Temple, there will be a separate registration for community members; look for more information about how to register for the Friday night event soon on our website.
If you have questions, have potential items for donation, or if you simply want to learn more about the Filson Historical Society (particularly our Jewish collections), please email me at aniren@filsonhistorical.org, or call me at 502-635-5083, extension 243. Meanwhile, I hope to see you at the Southern Jewish Historical Society Conference in November.