A Jewish family at Brecker's Grocery in Charleston, circa 1930.
(Photo courtesy of B'nai Jacob Synagogue, Charleston)

Righteous Remnant:
Jewish Survival in
Appalachia
(page 3)

by
Maryanne Reed
West Virginia University

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A Bar Mitzvah at Temple Beth El in Beckley, 1994.
(Photo courtesy of Tom Sopher)

     Professor Reed notes that the film reveals something "unique and special" about West Virginia's religious and cultural history. A predominantly rural and Appalachian state, West Virginia is comprised of many diverse ethnic and religious groups. This aspect of the region's history, she oberves, has not been fully understood. Despite the drop in southern West Virginia's Jewish population, Jewish families still remain in Beckley and other communities in the region. Now retired and living in another state, a pharmacist, Izzy Wein, occasionally returns to Beckley to lead services at the Temple Beth El: a labor of love for a congregation committed to keeping its traditions and rich heritage alive for future generations of West Virginians from all faiths. Righteous Remnant: Jewish Survival in West Virginia reflects one important aspect of the Mountain State's heritage of diversity and openness.

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