The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South

by Eli N. Evans, Willie Morris (Foreword by)

In this classic portrait of Jews in the South, Eli N. Evans takes readers inside the nexus of southern and Jewish histories, from the earliest immigrants to the present day. Evoking the rhythms and heartbeat of Jewish life in the Bible belt, Evans weaves together chapters of recollections from his youth and early years in North Carolina with chapters that explore the experiences of Jews in many cities and small towns across the South. He presents the stories of communities, individuals, and events in this quintessential American landscape that reveal the deeply intertwined strands of what he calls a unique "Southern Jewish consciousness."

First published in 1973 and updated in 1997, The Provincials was the first book to take readers on a journey into the soul of the Jewish South, using autobiography, storytelling, and interpretive history to create a complete portrait of Jewish contributions to the history of the region. No other book on this subject combines elements of memoir and history in such a compelling way. This new edition includes a gallery of more than two dozen family and historical photographs as well as a new introduction by the author.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Judaism, Jewish, Religion, Judaica, Historical

440 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! As a southern Jew from Durham the stories really touched me.

[Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tremendous book even if you are neither Jewish or Southern. Evans writes a very entertaining and, at times, hilarious personal memoir of his upbringing as the son of the Jewish mayor of Durham, North Carolina during the civil rights struggles (and his uncle was mayor of Fayetteville). Along the way he weaves in some fascinating tidbits of Southern Jewish history -- colonial South Carolina was the first place Jews could vote. There are also some tremendous profiles of forgotten Jewish figures of American history, not all of them positive such as the New York Rabbi who defended slavery (a Rabbi in South Carolina was the largest Jewish slave holder). Evans also writes an outstanding essay on the key role Jews have played in the development of Atlanta.

The only reason I don't give this five stars is because Evans does, in my view, go a little overboard on such topics as dating and his family to the point of being repetitious. He gives a very detailed treatment to the huge and largely forgotten controversy that Zionism created between southern Jews. In the back is a list of Southern Jewish officeholders throughout history. I would have liked to learn more about Franklin Moses, the Jewish governor of Reconstruction-era South Carolina who was known as the "Robber Governor". Why? He's never mentioned in the text at all. Still, it's well worth the time.

[Elsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written history of the Jews in the Southern U.S. Evans has written a history with many asides and anecdotes from his own life growing up in North Carolina.

While many of his stories are charming, it wasn't possible to find much of the material anything but disheartening. The history of the Jews in the south seems to revolve around their hiding behind their black neighbors, hoping the whites wouldn't abuse them because they were too busy abusing the blacks. It made me fell ill and ashamed. That's the moral fiber of the majority of Southern Jews?

If we, as Jews, never demand equal status in every society and a cessation of "acceptable Anti-semitism" and "acceptable racism, then we will always live apart and in fear.

[Nate Merrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lotsa really interesting anecdotes. And the appendix on 'threats and violent acts against Jewish institutions, 1950-1970'. Is really interesting. What would it have been like to be a jew in Dorchester, MA when there were five arsons/vandalisms in less than a month in 1970? I can't say I got a lot out of the rest of the book. My grandma is very clearly a southern jew, but at an institutional level it doesn't seem to me that there are major differences between southern jews and Northern jews today.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not my type of book, I suppose, it was probably pretty good, and it pointed out unlikely and unknown histories of Jews and Blacks in the South, but it also pointed out prejudices and seemed to justify and illuminate them.
It was not a straight story, and I am definitely a plot based reader; I like for a book/story to have a beginning, middle, and an end. I suppose that this did, but they were hidden in amongst the words. Had this not been a book club book, I would have neither started nor finished it – again, I wouldn't have started because it's far from my style, and I wouldn't have finished it because it was somewhat tedious, and I really didn't know what it's point was. Actually, the epilogue filled that in better than the book itself.
Well, part of the reason I actually joined the book club was to open my experiences and practices more. I suppose, "Mission accomplished".

[Alicia Tompkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating history of the jews in the south and really of the south since jews arrived written combined with a memoir by the author of his family. The personal stories brought the already interesting history to life. Whenever I read histories, I am always so interested that so many of the issues and problems then are relevant today. In The Provincials, echoes of the civil rights era and its accompanying divisiveness can be seen in current events today. I recommend this book to both my jewish and southern friends, particularly those with ties to Atlanta or North Carolina. Eli Evans and is family were and are inspirational.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of jews in the south in an endearing way that combines insight from the experience of the author’s formidable family who journeyed and stayed to north carolina with broader research connecting their experience to the experience elsewhere in the south. The book provides a rich historical and sociological picture of the jewish community and how it existed with the broader southern community as well as emerging civil rights era
It isnt always as smoothly sequenced as it might be but it reads well and gives a rich picture of the complexity of jewish life and how the south has changed over time

[Leslie kuris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3++ As a Jewish New Yorker who attended Tulane I am fascinated by Southern Jewish stories. Some very interesting history and anecdotes. I can attest to the New Orleans stories of being invited to Mardi Gras balls in the ‘60s to watch not dance. Insulting. I would never go. Parts of the book feel dated in attitude but it was written some time ago.

[Miriam Schumacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening book about the Jewish history in the US. Hard to read but if you are Jewish, you will like it.

[Cyclewheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very detailed emotional and sensitive
Learned a lot about the Jewishnexperience in thenSouth. Very lengthy with small font
Too much for me

[Mary Ess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Dense and a bit repetitive.

[Naim Peress · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to read an old classic. It was interesting to read the stories of the author’s hometown Durham, North Carolina and the founding of Duke University. The author Eli Evans provides an enjoyable interplay between the author’s experience growing up and the larger history of Southern Jews. I loved the book’s humor. The author’s father discusses the difficulty of keeping together a Jewish congregation to a non-Jewish friend and says,”Try to imagine a congregation with Methodists, Baptists and Catholics and and devising a service that makes everybody happy.” His discussion of civil rights and of how his father, the mayor of Durham, successfully integrated the city as the author put it,”In crisis, not disaster.” His discussions of Jewish communities in Mississippi, Atlanta and New Orleans are also fascinating. An excellent book and absolutely worth reading.

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good primer on the subject, but the information doesn't go particularly deep. I imagine the original edition was more cohesive, because the parts that have been tacked on since its initial publication in the early 1970s (which are marked as such) stand out distinctly in style and tone--particularly the excess of sentimentality.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

I read book to find material for my world religion class. I did find some good material on American Judaism in the South. The downside of the book is that it is often very personal. Perhaps that is simply not what I was looking for.

[michaelben · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author uses his memoir to tell a wonderful history of The South.

[Priscilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting until the last 1/3rd which became too much a personal memoir, very repetitive. Would have preferred more history and less family.