Teachers & Students

Lesson Plans and Programming Opportunities for Youth

The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience provides engaging educational programming for K-12th grade students that support Common Core State Standards. From in person and virtual tours to programs touching on immigration, civil rights, the Holocuast and more, your students will gain new perspectives by using the experience of a people with a distinct culture and history, to demonstrate the splendor of the American tapestry. 

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Field Trips

Bring your students to MSJE! Go on a guided tour of the galleries. Interested? Fill out the field trip form to be connected with our team. 

Want to learn more? Try one of our programs that dive deeper into topics like the Holocaust, Civil Right, the … and more. Click each program description to learn more. 

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.

Southern Jewish Leadership

Learn from the experiences of southern Jewish leaders, who engaged deeply in their community to better understand yourself as a leader. Great for 6th-12th grade students. 

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Gallery 1: From Immigrants to Southerners Image The story of the Southern Jewish experience begins thousands of miles from American shores. Tracing the major migrations of Jews to the American South beginning in the 1700s, this gallery explores how Jewish immigrants journeyed to American ports and navigated into the interior of the South. From establishing stores to synagogues, From Immigrants to Southerners touches on themes including merchant life, social institutions, and religious practice.

Interpreting the Past: Understanding objects.

Learn how to look at and consider artifacts as part of the historical record. This inquiry based program encourages students to ask questions about an object in order to understand their context.

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Lesson Plans 

Standard Aligned lesson plans that draw on MSJE’s collection to lead in YOUR classroom. 

Coming Soon!

Virtual Opportunities 

MSJE will come to you (virtually)! Click on the programs below to learn more about each virtual opportunity. 

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Virtual Tour for Youth

On this “tour” we will explore 4 artifacts in the MSJE collection to learn more about the southern Jewish experience. Students will get a hands-on (or screen-on) interaction with each of the stories we talk about.

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Shalom Y’all Photo Initiative: Snapshots of Southern Jewish Life

“What’s southern and Jewish around you?” Students will learn more about Bill Aron’s photography presented in his book Shalom Y’all and on view on the MJSE until April 2022 and contribute their own snapshot of the Jewish life around them. Some student photos will be selected to be featured in an April 2022 hybrid event with Bill Aron and Vicki Reikes Fox.

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