Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, History

Historian/Department Director

Founded in 2000, The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life is dedicated to providing educational and rabbinic services to Southern Jewish communities, documents and preserves the rich history of the Southern Jewish Experience, and promotes a strong Jewish cultural presence and community engagement throughout a thirteen-state region including: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.  Join us in this cutting edge approach to bringing Jewish life to one of the fastest growing regions in the country for Jews.

With the mandate of preserving the rich history of the Southern Jewish Experience, our history department documents and disseminates information about the rich history of Jewish life in the American South. Oral histories, lectures, publications, and a digital state-by-state Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities are some of the ways this department contributes to cultural preservation. The department has gained a national and respected reputation as a resource on the Southern Jewish Experience.

Job Description:  Historian/Department Director

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) seeks a Historian/ Department Director to oversee its history department.  He/she is responsible for the following:

• Produce scholarly research on the Southern Jewish Experience

• Oversee, maintain and enhance  the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities, a web-based resource containing the histories of over 250 Southern Jewish communities
• Disseminate information through publications, lectures, and discussions with groups of all ages and backgrounds
• Recruit and supervise college student interns as part of an ongoing internship program
  • Department enjoys a celebrated summer internship program
  • Other related internships not confined to summers as needed
• Serve as a resource on a wide variety of Southern Jewish topics locally and across the country
• Represent ISJL at other organizations with missions that intersect that of ISJL.
• Collaborate with the other ISJL departments to develop and support innovative programming serving the organization’s 13-state region.
• Plan and lead tours of Jewish and southern historical sites across the region
• Conduct video oral history interviews and oversee oral history transcription, editing, and publishing process
• Participate in scholarly conferences and professional development activities
• Maintain and develop relationships and collaborations with scholars and institutions in the field
• Serve as a resource for and edit grants and other printed material as needed 

Qualifications: 

• Ph.D. in American History, Southern Studies, Jewish Studies or related fields
• Demonstrated skills in critical analysis and interpretation of historical materials
• Lecture and public presentation skills
• Strong writing and interpersonal skills
• Proficiency in research methods and use of technology

Competitive salary and benefits commensurate with experience.