Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience

The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience explores the many ways that Jews in the American South influenced and were influenced by the distinct cultural heritage of their new homes. Through exhibits, collections and programs focused on the unique and remarkable history of Southern Jews, the Museum encourages new understanding and appreciation for identity, diversity, and acceptance.

MSJE is the only Jewish museum in the country to focus specifically on the Southern experience. Since opening in 2021, over 50,000 visitors have walked through the doors with thousands more participating in virtual public programming.

MSJE has hosted over 275 public programs since opening in 2021. Highlights from the past year include a panel of descendants from the Jewish Orphans' Home of New Orleans, Seeing into the Life of Things: A Retrospective on Fifty Years of Jewish-American Poetry and Spiritual Autobiography with Robert Kamenetz, and a week-long celebration of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot that featured a structure built by unCommon Construction.

Running through the end of 2026, the new special exhibition, "Holocaust Survivors in a New Land: New Americans Social Club of New Orleans," tells the story of how those who suffered under the Nazi regime made it to the United States and made new lives for themselves in the South.

The newly opened Chapman Family Research Center is a hub for archival preservation and digitization, secure collection storage, an oral history studio, and a reading room and reference library where museum staff help the public research their roots.

Testimonials

"The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience is the finest reply to the oft-heard comment, I didn't know there were Jews in the South!" - Deborah Jacobs

"Just found out I'm 10% Jewish. I loved learning about my new-discovered Jewish heritage." - Myra Morgan

"This museum has answered so many questions we've had about Judaism. Thank you from the Southern Mississippi History Club!"

"I learned more about the South (and America) in your museum than any museum I've been to." - S. O'Connell