Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience

"Zoom out. What’s this place all about? Opened in May 2021, the MSJE sits on the periphery of the Central Business District, about three blocks from New Orleans' popular World War II Museum.

The new museum traces the history of Jews in the American South. Like other persecuted groups, many came here seeking religious freedom. Others emigrated for economic opportunities. While most Jews wound up in big East Coast cities, the MSJE examines the lives of those who transited through predominantly Christian port towns like New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, and Houston. The museum follows the diaspora inland—where Jews started prosperous farms in the Mississippi Delta and Appalachian mountains and went on to win elections as mayors, sheriffs, council members, and civic leaders. 

In the early days of the Bible Belt, these immigrants may have been the only Jews in town. What was that experience like? How did they keep kosher in a land of pork? Did merchants sell goods on the Sabbath to make ends meet? How did the Jewish people keep their faith alive despite rampant discrimination and pressure to assimilate? And how could some Jewish people, who were so accustomed to being oppressed, act as oppressors in the Southern institution of slavery? This thoughtful specialty museum seeks to answer these questions and more. A museum's permanent collection is its defining feature: How was this one? The museum explores the many ways Jews in the American South influenced and were influenced by the cultural heritage of their local communities. It covers 13 states and more than 300 years of history, from the Colonial Revolution to the Civil Rights Movement. The holdings comprise more than 4,000 artifacts and archival documents, including Judaica from shuttered synagogues, cash registers and electric signs from Jewish-owned stores (and, curiously, a storekeeper’s prosthetic leg), a 19th-century wedding dress, and myriad family photos, letters, and heirlooms. Alas, the vast majority of the collection sits in an off-site storage unit. Exhibits keep us coming back. What can we expect? There are three permanent exhibitions on the first floor and a temporary exhibition space on the second. The most interesting section from the permanent collection focused on the relationship between Jews and slavery; unfortunately, it was also among the smallest. I would have loved to see a richer, more contextualized deep dive on this topic.

 While the museum looks contemporary and has a handful of interactive exhibits, it’s also largely text-based. (Don’t forget your reading glasses because there’s a lot of wall text!) What did you make of the crowd? In the hour I spent combing the museum, I encountered only two other people—a Jewish couple in their sixties. There were more staffers present than museumgoers, so I got the distinct sense that it might be struggling. (Then again, all of New Orleans is struggling post-Ida and mid-pandemic.) 

While artifacts help liven up the many text panels, it’s still a lot to take in — and might be difficult for children under 12 to appreciate. The MSJE hosts field trips and on-site classroom activities, but for regular ol' tourists with younger kids in tow, it’d be hard to hold their interest. On the practical tip, how were the facilities? The museum is small and easy to navigate. There is accessible seating in the mini theater and an elevator to lift wheelchairs up to the second floor's temporary exhibitions. Any guided tours worth trying? No guided tour was offered—human, app, or otherwise. The ticket price ($15 for adults) feels a tad steep given the size of the collection, but since the museum fills an important niche, I didn’t mind supporting it. Gift shop: obligatory, inspiring—or skip it? The gift shop is small and located directly across from the reception desk; there is no dividing wall. There’s also a hint of desperation to the selling. One of the workers cracked a joke about Jews being mercenary, and so that’s why he was going to hard-sell us on a bunch of Hanukah merchandise we didn’t want. There were some cute kids items (like a “Shalom, Y’all” onesie) for sale, plus a Jewish-inspired cookbooks, but nothing that felt like an essential purchase. Is the café worth a stop? There is no café at the MSJE, which is a shame considering how unique Southern Jewish cooking can be. Any advice for the time- or attention-challenged? Yes, absolutely. Don’t skip the introductory film–it’s short, slickly produced, and does a fine job setting up the permanent collection. The sections are well-signed, so you can pinball to whatever interests you most. But if you’re pressed for time, cut straight to the section on Jewish people and slavery. And for laughs, don’t miss the interactive video quiz that’ll test your knowledge of common Yiddish words." - Ashlea Halpern