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Book Reviews 121 A Biblical People in the Bible Belt: The Jewish Community of Memphis, Tennessee, 1840s-1960s, by Selma S. Lewis. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1998. 245 pp. $35.00. You know the story; the details are familiar; the names and places differ. This time the city is Memphis. Some Jewish peddlers came to Tennessee before the Civil War. The successful ones open~d small stores which eventually became larger. They sent for their relatives from Central Europe, and many even went back to find spouses. Enamored ofAmerican "freedom," they embracedthe culture of~eir communities, did not question established customs, and proceeded to help build the city in which they settled. They participated in political and civic affairs, gave generously to worthy causes, and displayed their patriotism by sending their sons to battle in the wars the community and nation committed themselves to. During the course ofthe narrative in such accounts readers are informed about how Jews grew with the community, contributed to its well being, and, despite social ostracism, became integral parts ofthe community. Then, 10 and behold, East European Jews with their bizarre costumes and "weird" religious practices appeared on the scene. The acculturated Central Europeans found themselves embarrassed and threatened by the newcomers who they feared would engender outbursts of antisemitism toward all Jews. At the same time they recognized their responsibility to help Americanize the newcomers. A variety ofinstitutions were established to teach English to the orthodox Jews, help them find jobs, and encourage them to modify their religious practices so that members of the majority culture would find them more socially acceptable. The last thing the "accepted" Jews wanted was deviance of any kind. Orthodox Jews, on the other hand, marched to the beat of a different drummer and were accustomed to being outsiders; they just wanted to be left alone. The East Europeans eventually prospered, accepted community folkways and mores, and ultimately the Holocaust and the establishment of Israel brought the two groups together. So, too, did the Civil Rights movement. In this readable narrative which the Jewish Historical Society ofMemphis and the Mid-South commissioned there is nothing that would suggest significant differences of opinion with members ofthe majority group except for the fact that the city houses the largest orthodox synagogue in the nation, certainly a unique characteristic for a southern city. Why this is so, however, is never fully discussed. Other issues of little concern to this author include the morality of slavery, second-class citizenship, and segregation. She is more intent in detailing how Jews contributed to the growth of the community and showing how some Jews cautiously promoted integration in the 1960s, when most enlightened southerners recognized its inevitability. Conflicts with gentiles which may 122 SHOFAR Winter 2000 Vol. 18, No.2 have arisen in the 1950s or earlier are overlooked. IfJews had significant problems with southern values, they are not explored in this book. The author is sensitive to communal needs and attitudes and knows that the Jewish Historical Society of Memphis wants to put its best foot forward rather than openly analyze Jewish anxieties orthe complexities oftheir relationships with their non-Jewish neighbors. She attributes the reluctance of Jews to take ,independent stands on controversial issues to the fact they are such a tiny minority in the community. The book is full oftidbits which enlighten us all. Elvis Presley, for example, was once poor and served as shabbos goy for a nearby synagogue; he also purchased his clothes from a Jewish haberdashery. Individuals who were in the forefront ofeconomic and communal development are named and praised for their accomplishments. Abe Plough, born in Mississippi but raised in the section of the city where poor East European Jews lived, "the Pinch," starteda chemical company which eventually became a drug colossus: Schering-Plough. While accounts such as this one frustrate those who want to understand the dynamics, uniqueness, and interactions ofpeople who live and have lived in Memphis, individuals who thrive on filiopietistic accounts will certainly find this book accessible and enjoyable reading. Leonard Dinnerstein Judaic Studies University ofArizona Irving Howe: Socialist, Critic, Jew, by Edward Alexander. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998. 284 pp. $35.00. Near...

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