“Music at the Temple: An Evening of Jewish Music” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the historic Temple B’Nai Israel. Tickets may be purchased prior to the program by calling the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration at 601-446-1274 or at the door the night of the program for $10. The program will feature Alvin Shelby, musician and singer/songwriter and Dr. David Goldblatt, professor of music at Alcorn State University. This eclectic concert will feature works that reflect a diverse heritage. The event will include ancient Jewish chants, classical works based on Jewish texts, prayers and songs from Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Israel as well as modern Jewish forays into folk music, jazz, rock, and gospel. Terri Tillman will introduce the program and give a short history of the Temple.

This program is sponsored by Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Mississippi Humanities Council and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History with support from Natchez National Historical Park . It is presented by the 27th annual Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration “Natchez at 300: A River Runs by it.”

For those of you that have been curious about Temple B’Nai Israel, home to Natchez’s historic Jewish congregation, this event will give you the opportunity to view the inside and enjoy the music. The Temple houses the oldest Jewish congregation in Mississippi (c.1843). Its stained glass windows and ark of Italian marble make this synagogue one of the loveliest and most historic in the region.

The original Temple was dedicated in 1872, but burned in 1903. The Temple you see today was rebuilt and dedicated in 1905 with the support of much of the community of Natchez, Jewish and non-Jewish. Three different churches offered free use of their buildings for services until the temple was rebuilt.

The congregation has dwindled in number, and the responsibility for opening the doors and maintaining the temple has fallen on fewer and fewer shoulders. At one time the congregation consisted of approximately 150 members, but today is supported by about 40 local and nonlocal members. Friday night Shabbat services are held regularly, led by a lay reader, and are open to the public. The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life provides rabbinic services to supplement the Shabbat lay services.

Proceeds from Friday’s event will go to Temple B’Nai Israel for preservation and maintenance of this historic building. We hope to host more cultural events, museum exhibits and special programming for the Natchez community. The temple will still host religious services and continue to play an important role in the religious and cultural life of the Natchez community, which is the cradle of Judaism in Mississippi.

Throughout the year Temple B’Nai Israel is open to the public with the support of local docents from the congregation. Visits include a guided tour of the historic building, Passover to Pilgrimage exhibit documenting the history and everyday life of Natchez’s Jewish families, and “The Natchez Jewish Experience” documentary. To arrange a visit call Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life at 601-362-6357 or Historic Natchez Foundation at 601-442-2500. Tours are available by appointment only.

I hope to see you at Temple B’Nai Israel this Friday night.

 

Elise Rushing is the secretary for Temple B’Nai Israel.