Southern Experience: TBS Southern Jewish Heritage Tour May 18-25, 2020

Join Cantor Reinwald in May, 2020 (May 18-25) on an exciting trip from New Orleans to Memphis. In partnership with the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, we will explore Southern Jewish history, Civil Rights history, and the history of Jazz, Mississippi Delta blues, and, of course, Elvis and the Million Dollar Quartet.

Temple Beth Sholom’s trip to New Orleans, Mississippi, and Memphis will feature exciting museums, great music, and conversations with members of southern Jewish communities. The group will begin in New Orleans and follow the Mississippi River north to Natchez, Jackson, and the Mississippi Delta before ending in Memphis.

Jump to: Sample Trip Itinerary

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) ​supports, connects, and celebrates Jewish life in the South. More info

Ready to Sign Up?  Questions?  Contact Cantor Reinwald at cantor@tbs-oc.org

Sample Trip Itinerary (official itinerary will vary based on group’s interests)

Trip will include guided tours by a guide from the Institute for Southern Jewish Life (ISJL). 

Details on type of bus/van transportation on the trip will be available once we know the size of the group.  

Monday, May 18th

Arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana
Welcome dinner

Overnight in New Orleans

Tuesday, May 19th

Bus tour of Jewish New Orleans
Visit to the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience
Lunch at Kosher Cajun
Whitney Plantation Museum
Night out at jazz clubs in New Orleans

Overnight in New Orleans

Wednesday, May 20th

Options in New Orleans including:

Ogden Museum of Southern Art
National World War II Museum
Historic New Orleans Collection
Explore the French Quarter and the Garden District

Travel to Natchez, Mississippi
Tour of Temple B’nai Israel, home to the oldest Jewish congregation in the state of Mississippi
Tour of Melrose Plantation
Attend a performance of the Natchez Festival of Music

Overnight in Natchez

Thursday, May 21st

Travel to Jackson, Mississippi
Museum of Mississippi History
Lunch and learn with the staff of the Institute of Southern Jewish Life and members of Beth Israel Congregation
Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
Civil Rights tour of Jackson State University and the Medgar Evers House Museum
Night out at Hal & Mal’s, Martin’s, or Underground 119

Overnight in Jackson

Friday, May 22nd

Travel to Indianola, Mississippi
B.B. King Museum
Lunch with Mayor Steve Rosenthal and Leanne and Alan Silverblatt, Jewish community members

Travel to Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville History Museum
1927 Flood Museum
Shabbat services and dinner at Hebrew Union Congregation in Greenville

Overnight in Greenville

Saturday, May 23rd

Travel to Cleveland, Mississippi
Shabbat morning services at Temple Adath Israel in Cleveland
Tour of the Delta with the Delta Center for Culture and Learning

Travel to Memphis, Tennessee
Visit A. Schwab’s, the only original business left on Beale Street, founded by an Alsatian Jewish immigrant in 1876
Night out on Beale Street

Overnight in Memphis

Sunday, May 24th

Options in Memphis including:

Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum
Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum
Graceland
Sun Studio
Stax Museum
Big River Crossing – walk to Arkansas on the nation’s longest pedestrian bridge!

Overnight in Memphis

Monday, May 25th

National Civil Rights Museum and the Lorraine Motel
Closing lunch at the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis
Participants continue to personal travel or fly back to California

Cost: $1800/person (based on double occupancy, single supplement fee of $350) plus flights and gratuities to tour guide/bus driver.  Cost includes hotel stays, transportation, guided tours by ISJL guide, admissions to museums and sites, and group meals. 

Deadlines:

$600 deposit per person to confirm your spot due by Friday, October 4th.  

$1200 balance due by Friday, February 14th (can also be paid in installments up to this date)

To sign up, or for any questions, please email Cantor Reinwald at cantor@tbs-oc.org