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Annual conference fills historic B'nai Israel in Natchez as city celebrates tricentennial
As Rabbi Jeremy Simons prepared to lead the Nov. 4 Shabbat service at B'nai Israel in Natchez, an unprecedented problem - at least, for him - came to mind: Would there be enough prayer books?
"It's a question I've never had to contemplate before," he said. As traveling rabbi for the Jackson-based Institute of Southern Jewish Life, Simons routinely does weekend visits to small communities in the South where the number of books far exceeds the remaining Jewish population, and Natchez had been the first pulpit where he led a Shabbat service after being ordained as a rabbi in 2014.
While Natchez's Jewish population is now in the single digits, this weekend would fill B'nai Israel for services and presentations, as the Southern Jewish Historical Society was having its annual conference there.
Thanks to a quick shipment from Memphis, there were plenty of books, and a rare large crowd to use them.
When planning began for the conference in Natchez, about 80 were expected to sign up, and 90 would be considered a great success. Over 140 registered.
For SJHS, this was by far the smallest community to host the annual conference. Recent conferences have been in Nashville and Birmingham; next year's will be in Cincinnati.
Stuart Rockoff, executive director of the Mississippi Humanities Council and former director of the Institute of Southern Jewish Life history department, said "an essential part of the Southern Jewish experience is the small community experience." The ISJL, which works with small communities in a 13-state region, coordinated the conference.
The conference was also part of the year-long tricentennial celebration of Natchez's founding, and drew Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell to welcome the conference "on behalf of the citizens of Natchez and Adams County."
The weekend began with a bus tour from Jackson to Vicksburg and Port Gibson. Along with Natchez, these were "northern colonies of the Jewish community of New Orleans," Rockoff said.
In Vicksburg, Richard Marcus said Anshe Chesed still has services every Friday night, with 12 to 15 in attendance, "of which the majority are not Jewish, but they like to come to the services."
Marcus, who is 87, said there are 11 people...