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Judaica, household items, business records, photographs, letters, & other ephemera

Preserving the Past

The Jewish Orphans’ Home, New Orleans, c. 1915. The back of the image includes a hand scripted note, “Our Babies,” possibly written by Rabbi Leon Volmer. Rabbi Volmer of Little Rock, Arkansas, served as the Home’s superintendent from 1911 to 1926. From the Crosby Family Collection. Courtesy of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience.
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Shabbat in the Mississippi Delta, 2002. Photo by Bill Aron. Courtesy of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience.

Flowers Brothers Store, Lexington, MS, c. 1900s. From the Flowers Family Collection. Donated by Beth Lebow. Courtesy of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience.
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Members of SoFTY in Clarksdale, MS, light Hanukkah candles, c. 1979. Courtesy of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience.
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Farm bell, c. 1900. Polish immigrant Julius Gamm moved to Louisiana in the 1890s after peddling goods throughout the South. He married into the Willer family and soon began buying parcels of land. While the Gamms raised livestock and grew a range of crops on their 1800-acre farm, including alfalfa, peanuts, sugar cane, and cotton. Donated to the MSJE Permanent Collection by Janis Gamm Ablon.
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Spice box, c. 1970s. Used during Havdalah, held at the conclusion of Shabbat on Saturday nights, this spice box was purchased in London by the Rosen family in 1972 and used in their household in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Donated to the MSJE Permanent Collection by Pearl Rose in memory of Morris H. Rosen.
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Krewe du Jieux bagel, 2019. During Carnival season in New Orleans, parading groups, or krewes, often toss unique “throws” to the crowds. The original of two Jewish parading organizations, Krewe du Jieux, became famous for their satire and decorated bagel throws. Donated to the MSJE Permanent Collection by L. J. Goldstein.
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Temple Sinai tzedakah box, c. 1960s. Rabbi Julian Fiebelman of Temple Sinai in New Orleans, Louisiana, supported numerous social justice causes during his leadership from 1936 to 1957, including civil rights initiatives and interfaith dialogue. Donated to the MSJE Permanent Collection by Temple Sinai, New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Community quilt, 1885. This Victorian “crazy” quilt, made by the Jewish Ladies’ Sewing Circle in Canton, Mississippi, was likely raffled off in support of Canton’s Temple B’nai Israel. The congregation opened its doors in 1879 following set-backs from the yellow fever epidemics of the 1870s. Donated to the MSJE Permanent Collection by Isabel Wile Goldman in memory of Bertha Loeb.
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Prayer book, French and Hebrew, c. 1843. This prayer book in French and Hebrew is inscribed with the birth and death records of the Hirsh-Levy family, who immigrated to Louisiana from France and Germany in the mid-1800s. Donated to the MSJE Permanent Collection by John Green III.
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Albert and Pearl Daube, England, 1945. Albert met Pearl in England while serving with the United States military forces. They married in 1945, and Pearl arrived in the United States as a war bride in the following months. From the Daube Family Collection. Courtesy of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience.
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Albert Daube, Ardmore, Oklahoma, 1937. Albert’s relatives in Oklahoma sponsored him to move to the United States, enabling him to escape Nazi Germany in 1937. He is pictured here on his relatives’ farm in rural Oklahoma shortly after his arrival. He would later serve overseas in World War II. From the Daube Family Collection. Courtesy of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience.
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The Museum has more than 4,000 items in its collection, including Judaica, household items, business records, photographs, letters, and other ephemera.

As with most museums, only a small part of our collection will be on exhibit at any time. The remainder is housed in climate-controlled storage, where it can be cataloged, conserved, and made available to researchers for study and to other museums for loans.

The Museum continues to grow its collection through donations of items but is selective in what it accepts. Physical space and the ability to properly conserve and store items limit what the Museum will accept into its collection. To find out more about what the Museum is looking to collect, click below to learn more. You can describe your artifacts to us there.

Donating Artifacts to MSJE