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Judaism in the South
Spring 2014
RELS 4460
Middle East Institute – Georgia State University
Instructor:
Marian Broida, PhD
Office Hours: Mondays 2:30-4:30 pm or by appointment
Office Location: Middle East Institute, 20th
floor of the 34 Peachtree Building, Room 2015
Telephone: 404-413-6144
Email: mbroida@gsu.edu
Please do NOT use the email within Desire2Learn. Emails and/or responses may not be received.
Class Meetings:
Mondays and Wednesdays 12:00 - 1:15 pm
Langdale Hall 227
Course Description:
Learn how the events and culture of the southern US affected Jews—and how Jews affected the
south. We will study Jewish immigrants, the life of small-town southern Jews, and Jewish
relations with both African-Americans and whites. Much important history happened right here
in Georgia—for example, the lynching of Leo Frank and the Temple bombing in Atlanta. You’ll
make use of local historical resources to shed light on the past, including optional tours at
Oakland cemetery and the Breman Jewish Heritage Museum with access to the museum archives
(a rare opportunity!). You’ll conduct an oral interview and develop other skills as historians:
reading, researching, and writing history.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the semester you should be able to:
 Describe Jewish immigration patterns into the south
 Identify common occupations of Southern Jews in small-town and urban environments
 Describe the roles of Southern Jews during the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Civil
Rights movement
 Discuss historic and current relationships between Southern Jews, whites, and African-
Americans.
 Describe the impact of key events on Jewish life in the South, particularly the lynching of
Leo Frank and the bombing of the Temple in Atlanta
 Conduct an oral history
 Identify local resources shedding light on southern Jewish history
 Actively and critically read and discuss historical articles
 Use genealogical and/or other databases, archives, oral histories and secondary sources in
reconstructing and writing the history of southern Jews.

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Required Readings
 Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History, ed. M. C. Ferris and M. I. Greenberg,
Brandeis University Press, 2006. (called JR in reading assignments)
 The Leo Frank Case by Leonard Dinnerstein, Columbia University Press, 1968.
 The Temple Bombing by Melissa Fay Greene, Da Kapo Press, 1996.
 Other readings as assigned.
Grading:
The assignments and grading approach are designed to foster mastery of the skills and concepts
needed to conduct real historical research.
 5%: Quiz on key terminology pertaining to Jews and Judaism and relevant geography.
 10%: Journal on readings. You are asked to prepare for each class by keeping a hard-
copy journal with the topic, thesis/argument, and key points of evidence for each
assigned reading (clearly labeled and dated), as well as your reactions, questions, or
issues you plan to raise in class. The instructor will ask to see these journals at least once
per semester, with or without warning. Comments written on the reading itself will not be
counted. It is expected that your skills in critical reading will improve over the semester.
 5%: Oral report with handout (to be posted on D2L) on how to use a given historical
resource (database, etc.).
 15%: Active participation. You are expected to be on time and prepared for each class,
to actively and constructively contribute to class discussions, and to refrain from the use
of technology unless explicitly allowed by the instructor.
o Preparation includes bringing hard copies of the relevant readings and your up-to-
date journal to each class.
o Once over the semester you will be asked to do a secondary reading in addition to
the regular assigned readings and bring it into that class’s discussion.
o If you are not comfortable being called on in class, please discuss with me at the
start of the semester. We can find alternate ways to ensure your participation (and
participation grade).
o Students with more than 4 unexcused absences will have significant drops in their
final grade (see attendance policy). Please track your attendance on D2L to avoid
any surprises.
 15%: Oral history. After learning how to do an oral history, you will be given the name
of a local Jewish resident to interview about their personal experiences. You will record
the interview, transcribe it, and submit both recording and transcription for posting on the
course website.
 10%: Primary source research. Using at least 3 local historical primary resources
(databases, documents from archives, photos of place of residence, burial site, etc.) you
will research an assigned individual buried in one of Oakland Cemetery’s Jewish

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sections. Afterwards, you will meet individually with me to present your findings and
plan your approach to the final paper.
 40%: Final paper (6-9 double-spaced pages) of original historical research on your
assigned individual incorporating secondary sources on a relevant theme (such as
southern Jewish economic or institutional life, gender roles, race relations, Jewish
identity, religious practices, etc.).
 There will be no final exam.
Extra credit: Students can earn up to 3 points of extra credit on their final grade by attending a
pre-approved event related to Judaism (such as viewing a film at the Atlanta Jewish Film
Festival) and turning in a two-page description/analysis. All extra credit needs to be submitted by
April 23 (no extensions). You can do this only once.
This course will utilize a plus (+) and minus (-) grading system, as follows:
Course grade Letter Grade Quality Points
Above 100% A+ 4.30
93%-100% A 4.00
90%-92% A- 3.70
87%-89% B+ 3.30
83%-86% B 3.00
80%-82% B- 2.70
77%-79% C+ 2.30
73%-76% C 2.00
70%-72% C- 1.70
67%-69% D+ 1.30
63%-66% D 1.00
60%-62% D- .70
Below 60% F 0.00
Course Policies:
Attendance: You may miss up to four classes without need for an excuse or any grade
penalty (however, the quiz, presentations, or supplementary article presentations cannot be
made up unless the absence is excused). An absence may be excused with prior consent of the
instructor and/or a note from an appropriate office (medical services, dean, etc.). Please let me
know by February 1 of any anticipated excused absences, including religious holidays.
If you accrue four unexcused absences, each additional class missed will drop the final class
grade by 1 increment (e.g., from B+ to B).
If absent, please contact other students to review their notes, handouts, etc. so you can come
prepared for the next class. See me if you have difficulty. I do not hand out my own lecture
notes, however.

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You are responsible for the assignments given during your absence, and for arranging to make up
missed quizzes and homework in a timely way.
Unless the absence was excused and you have arranged otherwise with me, late work will be
subject to a 10% grade penalty every 24-hour period from the date due. That is, an assignment
due Monday at 2:30 will have 20% deducted from the grade if submitted by 2:30 on Wednesday.
Timeliness: Please arrive on time. Being 10 minutes late on 3 occasions counts as 1 missed
class in terms of the attendance policy.
Technology: In general I do not want you to use cellphones, tablets, laptops, etc. in class. Be
prepared to take notes by hand. Please be willing to share these with others.
Schedule of Classes and readings:
Please check D2L and email regularly as some readings are likely to change.
Mon Jan 13: Course introduction.
Wed Jan 15: Who are the Jews? An overview of Jewish history and denominations. DUE:
Judaism 101: What is Judaism? http://www.jewfaq.org/judaism.htm
Judaism 101: What do Jews Believe? http://www.jewfaq.org/beliefs.htm
Judaism 101: Movements of Judaism (section entitled “Movements in the United States
Today”). http://www.jewfaq.org/movement.htm
Fri Jan 17 last day to drop-add
Mon Jan 20: No class; MLK holiday
Wed Jan 22: Judaism. Due: Segal, Introducing Judaism, 269-273; 277-292.
Mon Jan 27: Putting Southern Jews on the map: preparation for quiz. Screening of Shalom Y’all.
Due: Selection from Encyclopedia of Southern Religion TBD.
Wed Jan 29: Quiz on Jews, Judaism, and Jewish geography. Pass out resource report
assignments. Overview of Southern Jewish history, with focus on Atlanta. Due:
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/jewish-community-atlanta;
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/judaism-and-jews;
Mon Feb 3: Earliest Jewish immigrants. Due: “One Religion, Different Worlds” JR 27-45.

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Wed Feb 5: Use of resources in history. Due: Oral reports and handouts on resources.
Mon Feb 10: Jewish identity in the early south. Due: “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword”:
Southern Jewish Women Writers, JR 72-85.
Wed Feb 12: Southern Jewish economic life. Due: “Entering the Mainstream of Modern Jewish
History: Peddlers and the American Jewish South.” JR 86-108.
Mon Feb 17: Jews in small towns. Due: Skim “Eastern European Immigrants and the Image of
Jews in the Small-Town South,” Lee Shai Weissbach (Dixie Diaspora, 108-142—advise students
to skim).
[Tour of Oakland cemetery to be scheduled around this time.]
Wed Feb 19: Congregational life in the south. Due: “The Ascendancy of Reform Judaism in the
American South during the Nineteenth Century” 156-191.
Mon Feb 24: Congregational life in Atlanta. Due: chapt 3 of “Strangers within the Gate City,”
55-72; 2 articles on oral history-taking TBD.
Wed Feb 26: Guest speaker Lisa Flaherty: How to do an oral history. Due: remaining article on
oral history-taking TBD.
Mon Mar 3: Guest speaker: Gus Kaufman. Due: “The Kaufmans of Georgia,” pp. 5-65 of Jewish
Identity in the Reconstruction South by Anton Hieke. Begin reading The Leo Frank Case
(especially 1-76; 95-106; 122-162)
Tues Mar 4—Last day to withdraw
Wed Mar 5: Southern Jews in the Civil War & Reconstruction. Due: “Jewish Confederates,” JR
109-133.
Mon Mar 12: Atlanta from the Civil War to 1913. Due: “The Jewish Community of Atlanta
from the End of the Civil War Until the Eve of the Frank Case,” [American Jewish Historical
Quarterly, March 1973, 250-285. Continue reading The Leo Frank Case.
Wed Mar 14: Guest Speaker Sandra Berman: The Leo Frank case. Due: finish The Leo Frank
Case.
Mon Mar 17—Spring break (through Fri Mar 21)
Mon Mar 24: Presentations of selections from oral histories. Receive assignments of individuals
for primary source research and schedule meetings with instructor (to be completed by April 7).
Due: recording and transcript of oral history. Also due: begin reading Temple Bombing.

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Wed Mar 26: Oral history presentations continued. Prep for final project. Due: continue Temple
Bombing.
Mon Mar 31: Guest speaker Jeremy Katz: Use of the Breman archives. Due: continue Temple
Bombing.
[Tour of Breman Museum exhibit and archives to be scheduled around now.]
Wed Apr 2: Jews and Race Relations. Due: “’Now is the Time to Show Your True Colors,’” JR
134-155.
Mon Apr 7: Jews and Civil Rights Movement. Due: “A Tangled Web: Black-Jewish Relations in
the Twentieth-Century South”, JR 192-209. Also due: results of primary source research on
individuals in Oakland Cemetery.
Wed Apr 9: The Temple Bombing. Due: finish Temple Bombing.
Mon Apr 14 screening of Delta Jews (1998)
Wed Apr 16: Jews in today’s south. Due: “The Dixie Diaspora: the ‘loss’ of the small Southern
Jewish community,” pp 165-188, Dixie Diaspora.
Mon Apr 21 Student presentations of draft papers with gentle, helpful feedback from
colleagues. Footnote instruction.
Wed Apr 23 Student presentations cont’d.
Mon Apr 28 Class wrap-up.
Final Papers due: Wed Apr 30, 11:59 pm, electronically.

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Middle East Institute
Syllabus Statement Spring 2014
For information on MEI events see: www.gsu.edu/mideast
___________________________________________________________________________
 The syllabus provides a general plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary.
 Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping
education at Georgia State. Upon completing the course, please take time to fill out the
online course evaluation.
 The last day to withdraw from a course with the possibility of receiving a W is Tuesday,
March 4, 2014.
 Students are responsible for confirming that they are attending the course section for
which they are registered. Failure to do so may result in a WF or F for the course.
 Final grades may not be posted or given out over the phone. To see your grades, check
PAWS.
 The customary penalty for a violation of the policy on academic honesty is an “F” in the
course. See the University policy on academic honesty, below.
 A student may be awarded a grade of “W” no more than 6 times in his or her career at
GSU. After 6 Ws, a withdrawal is recorded as a WF on the student’s record. A WF
counts as an F in the calculation of GPA.
 Students who wish to request accommodation for a disability may do so by registering
with the Office of Disability Services. Students may only be accommodated upon
issuance by the Office of Disability Services of a signed Accommodation Plan and are
responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all classes in which an
accommodation is sought.
 Disruptive student behavior will not be tolerated. Disruptive behavior will be handled
according to the Disruptive Student Behavior Policy found in the Faculty Handbook
(http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfhb/fhb.html). Sanctions under this policy include
involuntary withdrawal from the course. If withdrawal occurs after the semester midpoint
a WF will be received in the course. This will count as an F when calculating Georgia
State GPA.

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Policy on Academic Honesty, from the GSU Catalog
As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold
standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The university assumes as a basic and minimum
standard of conduct in academic matters that students be honest and that they submit for credit
only the products of their own efforts. Both the ideals of scholarship and the need for fairness
require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit. They also require that
students refrain from any and all forms of dishonor-able or unethical conduct related to their
academic work.
The university’s policy on academic honesty is published in the Faculty Handbook and On
Campus: The Student Handbook and is available to all members of the university community.
The policy represents a core value of the university, and all members of the university
community are responsible for abiding by its tenets. Lack of knowledge of this policy is not an
acceptable defense to any charge of academic dishonesty. All members of the academic
community—students, faculty, and staff—are expected to report violations of these standards of
academic conduct to the appropriate authorities. The procedures for such reporting are on file in
the offices of the deans of each college, the office of the dean of students, and the office of the
provost.
In an effort to foster an environment of academic integrity and to prevent academic dishonesty,
students are expected to discuss with faculty the expectations regarding course assignments and
standards of conduct. Students are encouraged to discuss freely with faculty, academic advisers,
and other members of the university community any questions pertaining to the provisions of
this policy. In addition, students are encouraged to avail themselves of programs in establishing
personal standards and ethics offered through the university’s Counseling Center.
Definitions and Examples
The examples and definitions given below are intended to clarify the standards by which
academic honesty and academically honorable conduct are to be judged. The list is merely
illustrative of the kinds of infractions that may occur, and it is not intended to be exhaustive.
Moreover, the definitions and examples suggest conditions under which unacceptable behavior
of the indicated types normally occurs; however, there may be unusual cases that fall outside
these conditions that also will be judged unacceptable by the academic community.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism includes
any para-phrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment,
including the submitting of another student’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism frequently involves
a failure to acknowledge in the text, notes, or footnotes the quotation of the paragraphs,
sentences, or even a few phrases written or spoken by someone else.
The submission of research or completed papers or projects by someone else is plagiarism, as is
the unacknowledged use of research sources gathered by someone else when that use is
specifically forbidden by the faculty member. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one’s
reliance on other sources is also a form of plagiarism. Any work, in whole or in part, taken from
the Internet or other computer-based resource without properly referencing the source (for
example, the URL) is considered plagiarism. A complete reference is required in order that all

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parties may locate and view the original source. Finally, there may be forms of plagiarism that
are unique to an individual discipline or course, examples of which should be provided in
advance by the faculty member. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use
of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly or creative indebtedness,
and the consequences of violating this responsibility.
Cheating on Examinations: Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving
unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help
include the use of notes, computer-based resources, texts, or "crib sheets" during an examination
(unless specifically approved by the faculty member), or sharing information with another
student during an examination (unless specifically approved by the faculty member). Other
examples include intentionally allowing another student to view one’s own examination and
collaboration before or after an examination if such collaboration is specifically forbidden by the
faculty member.
Unauthorized Collaboration: Submission for academic credit of a work product, or a part
thereof,
represented as its being one’s own effort, which has been developed in substantial collaboration
with another
person or source or with a computer-based resource is a violation of academic honesty. It is also
a violation of academic honesty knowingly to provide such assistance. Collaborative work
specifically authorized by a faculty member is allowed.
Falsification: It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent material or fabricate
information in
an academic exercise, assignment or proceeding (e.g., false or misleading citation of sources,
falsification of the results of experiments or computer data, false or misleading information in an
academic context in order to gain
an unfair advantage).
Multiple Submissions: It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of
the same work for credit more than once without the explicit consent of the faculty member(s) to
whom the material is submitted for additional credit. In cases in which there is a natural
development of research or knowledge in a sequence of courses, use of prior work may be
desirable, even required; however the student is responsible for indicating in writing, as a part of
such use, that the current work submitted for credit is cumulative in nature.