ABOUT THE CENTER
The College of Charleston’s Center for Southern Jewish Culture seeks to broaden public knowledge and inspire conversations about the southern Jewish experience.
Generously funded by the Pearlstine/Lipov family in 2014, it brings together the resources of the College’s Jewish Studies Program, Addlestone Library’s Jewish Heritage Collection, and The Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.
The College of Charleston’s Center for Southern Jewish Culture hosts a wide array of speakers, films, and other events.
Our Charleston Research Fellowship Program supports works of scholarship, public history, and artistic production.
We partner with other organizations to help the public discover the rich history and culture of the Jewish South.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dr. Maurice Samuels will discuss his acclaimed biography "Alfred Dreyfus: The Man at the Center of the Affair," which draws on a vast family archive to offer a nuanced portrait of Dreyfus's life, his resistance to a devastating false accusation, and his distinctive model of Jewish identity. Samuels argues that the Dreyfus Affair remains a powerful cautionary tale — and a guide — for confronting antisemitism and right-wing nationalism in contemporary liberal democracies. Joining Samuels in conversation will be Judge Richard Gergel, who will bring a legal historian's perspective to the discussion. Together, they will explore the Dreyfus Affair alongside the Leo Frank case — the 1913 murder of Mary Phagan in Atlanta, Georgia, the wrongful conviction of Leo Frank, and his subsequent lynching — examining how law, bias, and public pressure shaped the outcomes of both trials and what these cases continue to reveal about justice, prejudice, and democracy. Hybrid event. In-person brunch meets at Arnold Hall, 96 Wentworth Street, Charleston, SC 29424 Sponsors: Pearlstine/Lipov Center for Southern Jewish Culture; Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina
NEWS AND NOTES
Farah Art Griffin: Holocaust of Our Beloved
I am immensely grateful to have received the Charleston Research Fellowship from the Pearlstine/Lipov Center [...]
Ben Bascom: Researching the life and writings of Charlotte Myers (1802–1891)
I recently visited the College of Charleston’s special collections through a generous fellowship from the [...]
Synagogues of the South
Six years in the making, Synagogues of the South: Architecture and Jewish Identity is now [...]
Mapping Jewish Charleston 2020
The 2020 page of Mapping Jewish Charleston brings the story of Jewish life in the [...]