The North Carolina State Capitol will host the traveling exhibit “Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina” from April 1 to May 31. Visitors to the Capitol can see this exhibit Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Over 10 panels, this exhibit features a four-century timeline of Jewish history in North Carolina, focusing on topics such as family, being southern, commerce, immigration, community, learning, and more.
The State Capitol will host an in-person exhibit opening and reception at the Capitol on Monday, April 4 at 7 p.m., featuring a talk from historian and exhibit curator Dr. Leonard Rogoff. The exhibit opening event is free and open to the public, but participants must register by visiting https://www.eventbrite.com/e/down-home-jewish-life-in-north-carolina-traveling-exhibit-opening-tickets-244710855757.
To offer visitors from across the state the chance to visit the exhibit virtually, the Capitol and Jewish Heritage NC will also host a Virtual Curator’s Talk with historian and author Dr. Leonard Rogoff on Thursday, May 12 at 7 p.m. This event is FREE and available via Zoom. To register, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-curators-tour-of-down-home-jewish-life-in-north-carolina-tickets-244656824147.
Jews in North Carolina have built lives around contradictions — rooted in Carolina soil yet tied to a global community, embracing the here and now yet reaching back to ancient traditions. They are Southern Jews and Jewish Southerners. Their story is just one chapter in our country’s ongoing immigrant saga, a story that new arrivals of all faiths and ethnicities are reliving in the changing South.
For more than 400 years, Jews have shaped North Carolina life. Along the way, they themselves were transformed as Jewish culture and traditions encountered Southern customs and manners. North Carolina Jews grounded their lives in timeless values — family, community, faith, learning — but here these values took on new meanings and inflections that blended past and present.
This exhibit was created by Jewish Heritage North Carolina, the only statewide organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and presenting the history of the Jewish people of our state. It serves as a resource to connect and enhance the state’s diverse Jewish communities and provides programs that educate and showcase the richness of Jewish life as well as promote a familiarity with the culture and lifestyle of Jews to the general public. For more information about Jewish Heritage North Carolina, please visit https://jewishnc.org.
The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history, architecture and function of the 1840 building and Union Square. It is within the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and located at One Edenton Street, Raleigh. For additional information please call or visit https://historicsites.nc.gov/.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, three science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 41 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the N.C. Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, and the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.