If you’re looking for a gift for the holidays, here’s our shameless plug.
Susan Adler Thorp and I have just published the history of a seminal Memphis institution – the Memphis Jewish Community Center. It is the story of how a group of teenage boys looking for a place where they would have their own place to play basketball refused to abandon their dream of a place where all Jews would be welcomed. After a year of interviews, digging through boxes of files, and reading decades of board minutes, the book is Memphis Jewish Community Center: Seventy Years of Jewish Connection.
The book features historic photos that trace the the founding inspirations back to the 19th century and the early 20th century before becoming a physical place near what is today Overton square and later expanding to its present location at 6560 Poplar. In addition, talented photographer Lisa Buser provided contemporary photos
The story of the Center features the first executive director and his connections to movie star Tony Curtis, Elvis Presley’s midnight handball games and his own Jewish connections (including his beloved mother and the Memphis Mafia), the Center’s leadership in breaking down racial and standing for human rights, giving birth to the Jewish youth Olympics – the Maccabi Games, and other stories which underscore the important impact that Memphis’ Jewish community of about 10-15,000 people have had on the community.
The book is available at the Jewish Community Center, Novel, and Amazon.
In addition, there are still copies available of Shelby Farms Park: Elevating a City that was published in 2017 to commemorate the opening of one of America’s great parks. It traces the 100-year history of the site, beginning as a penal farm, being declared surplus property by Shelby County Government, and how the public rose up to protect it from development.
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