Jewish Life in NC–Leonard Rogoff’s book is blogged at ABC 11’s website!

Today we’d like to send you over to the website for ABC 11 Eyewitness News because today, John Clark, who is an anchor and reporter over there, writes about Leonard Rogoff’s book, Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina.

In his book, Rogoff chronicles  Jewish life in the Tar Heel State from colonial times to the present as he explores oral histories, original historical documents, and profiles of the people whose lives he traces. Throughout, he brings together documentary research, folklore, and more than 125 historic and contemporary photographs to create a full and nuanced understanding of Jewish social, cultural, economic, and religious life in North Carolina.

In particular, Clark draws our attention to the first-person narratives that make this book special.  Please give it a read:

A ‘400-year-old book,’ Coach K’s faith, and more

It’s a book that’s been in the making more than 400 years. And in a sense, is still being written. Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina (UNC Press, 2010) chronicles the Jewish experience in our state dating back to before we were a state.

“It was interesting doing Down Home,” author Leonard Rogoff told me, “because in contrast to our neighboring states, North Carolina was not thought to have a Jewish history. And the book documents and tells a narrative that begins in 1585 and continues to this very present day. So they’ve been part and parcel of this state’s history from the very beginning.”

To continue reading, click here.

Also, if you’d like more info about the related multimedia project at the Jewish Heritage Foundation of North Carolina, click here.

And happy weekend, everybody!

B