As I have taken you through this journey, you can see that there were once many thriving Jewish communities in the small towns of the South. While some do still exist today, there are many with one or no Jews remaining. Bert Rosenbush Jr from Demopolis, Alabama and Phil Cohen from Lexington, Mississippi are two examples of the last Jew remaining in their small community. Cohen still runs the Cohen's Department Store which in grandfather started in 1900.
The temple in Demopolis, Temple B’nai Jeshurun, was taken over by the local Episcopal Church there and now Rosenbush has to drive 60 to Tuscaloosa Alabama for High Holiday services.
On the other hand, Temple Beth El in Lexington is maintained by a local organization, and current and past Jewish residents are allowed to hold services there when they want.
To conclude my project, I have attached an interview conducted by the Bremen Museum with Bert Rosenbush. Through it, you can explore what live was like as a Jew in Demopolis before there was only one remaining. What was one a thriving Jewish community today has almost no one left to preserve it!
Source: The Bremen Museum Source: Berkman, Seth. "Southern Jews a Dying Breed as Small-Town Communities Dwindle Fast." The Forward. The Forward, 28 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2017. Photo Source: Berkman, Seth. "Southern Jews a Dying Breed as Small-Town Communities Dwindle Fast." The Forward. The Forward, 28 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.