Unorthodox

In honor of July 4th, we're celebrating the diversity of American Jewish life—which, as we've learned, goes well beyond eating bagels on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Up first, we get a crash course in the history of Jews in the South from Stuart Rockoff, who created the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities, a rich online resource from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Next, Sammy Potter tells us about driving an hour to synagogue from his home in Yarmouth, ME, and why he wants to return to Maine after college. Yemile Bucay then describes her Mexican Syrian family's move from Mexico City to San Antonio, TX, and how she ended up raising her family in Great Neck, NY. Rabbi Tirzah Firestone follows to tell us about the Jewish Renewal movement in Boulder, CO. Finally, from Tulsa, OK, a vibrant Jewish community in the American heartland, we speak with Rabbi Marc Fitzerman and his children, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Nina Fitzerman-Blue, about the unique landscape of Jewish life on the Arkansas R