Hanukkah sameach! Happy Hanukkah! During this season as we rededicate ourselves to our Jewish community and “spreading the light,” we invite you to join us in celebrating Jewish Heritage North Carolina’s exciting accomplishments and upcoming plans.
More than 10 years ago, we created the successful Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina project including a traveling museum exhibit, book, school curriculum, and documentary film. Our mission was to collect, preserve and present the history of the Jewish people in North Carolina. Thousands visited as the exhibit traveled across the state, and many—not just Jews—have now learned how Jews, for more than four-hundred years, have contributed to building a vibrant and prosperous North Carolina.
Since then, we have broadened our mission to connect communities and educate our diverse and multigenerational audiences. We are proud of our accomplishments over the last year:
- our website—jewishnc.org—featuring an interactive map and listing of every Jewish resource in the state, was visited over 28,000 times in the past year attracting both locals and out-of-staters planning visits and moves;
- our social media following grew well over 200%;
- our Down Home documentary film was shown many times on WUNC-TV; and
- our JHNC historian lectured at public libraries, synagogues, senior centers, and community colleges, and conducted teacher workshops for the NC Council on the Holocaust.
We are excited to share our upcoming initiatives:
- a Jewish virtual walking tour series will kick off with Explore Asheville’s Jewish History on December 19th, followed by Explore Charlotte’s Jewish History on January 23rd. More community tours are in the works. Registration info is available on our website;
- the Down Home documentary film will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime;
- video and oral interviews held in our JHNC archive at Duke University will be edited into family histories and made available online; and
- new highway historical markers of Jewish significance will be placed on roads around the state.
Jewish Heritage North Carolina brings the past to the present by highlighting for all audiences the Jewish contribution to the rich cultural diversity of North Carolina. Please help us promote Jewish heritage by supporting our Annual Campaign. We are proud to have earned GuideStar’s 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency for trusted and responsible management of our donors’ funds, and we will strive to deserve your support as we build on our past into our shared future.
Thank you for your generosity – on Giving Tuesday, and throughout the year!
