A delicious and poignant portrait of Southern Jewish life revealed through food and story
Simcha, a Hebrew word for joy, has also come to refer to celebrations, especially lifecycle milestones like birth, coming of age, and marriage. Throughout Southern Simchas: Stories and Recipes from Jewish Celebrations in the American South, rituals and dishes with Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and regional American origins mingle to produce sometimes surprising and often harmonious fusions, such as observing Shabbat during Mardi Gras week in New Orleans to a Texas-style Bar Mitzvah.
In Southern Simchas, Rachel Gordin Barnett and Lyssa Kligman Harvey reach across generations and geography, from Virginia to Texas, to collect stories from more than forty families where food is at the center of every gathering. The collected essays, recipes, and photographs capture the essence of celebrations that bring joy, resilience, and renewal to families and communities.
With chapters that highlight lifecycle celebrations as well as uniquely Southern "Soulful Simchas," the book features six festive menus and more than eighty recipes, including
- Summer Salmon with Capers and Dill
- Kosher Jazz Jambalaya
- Perfect Peach Pound Cake
- Chocolate Chewies from a beloved Savannah bakery
- Southern Simchas Signature Cocktail
These celebrations are brought to life by more than one hundred original and historical photographs.
With a foreword by Marcie Cohen Ferris, author of Matzo Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South.
Rachel Gordin Barnett is executive director and a past president of the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina. She is the coauthor of Kugels & Collards: Stories of Food, Family, and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina and lives in Columbia, South Carolina.
Lyssa Kligman Harvey is a retired therapist. Her life's work has focused on helping children and strengthening her community through the creation of the Columbia Holocaust Education Commission and service to arts and environmental boards. She is the coauthor of Kugels & Collards: Stories of Food, Family, and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina and lives in Columbia, South Carolina.
