History

From early on, Greenville’s Jewish population made significant contributions to the town’s progress. Former Greenville mayor Pat Dunne observed, “From cobbler to banker, merchant to plantation owner, the Jewish people helped to build a magnificent city here.” For much of the 20th century, Greenville had the largest Jewish population in Mississippi, with the most concentrated population of Jewish merchants in the state as well, though in recent decades the community has declined along with the Delta itself.

Greenville was the Jewish community for not only Greenville itself, but for Jews in neighboring towns, such as Percy, Shelby, and Rosedale in Bolivar County, Mississippi and Lake Providence, Louisiana. As such, these families mingled, met, married, and were buried in Greenville.

Familes

The link is to the oldest person in the family, with the same surname, known to have lived in Greenville. You should be able to find your family member by starting at the top of the tree.

• Alexander
• Blum - Samuel Blum
• Brill - Sol Brill
• Eckstone - Lewis Eckstone
• Elkas - Louis Elkas
• Erlich
• Fletcher - Leon Fletcher
• Goldstein - Nathan Goldstein
• Goodstein
• Hafter - Charles Hafter
• Hyman - Annie Hyman, wife of Morris Scheff
• Isenberg
• Leyser
• Moyse - Leon Moyse
• Nelms
• Pohl
• Rawitzer
• Rosenstock - Morris Rosenstock
• Scheff - Morris Scheff
• Schlom
• Scott
• Stein - Sam Stein
• Strom
• Waldauer - Louis Waldauer
• Weinberg
• Weiss - Morris Weiss
• Wilczinski
• Witt - Gustave Witt
• Woolf - Jane Riteman Woolf Goldstein

Cemeteries

• Greenville Jewish Cemetery

Sources

• Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Greenville, Mississippi