Our mezuzah was handmade and painted by my mother, Edith Fleisig, who made all kinds of beautiful mezuzahs. We have a family collection that includes a little boy baseball player and a little girl holding flowers that we used on our children's doorposts as they grew up. My mom was classically trained in the arts at RISD and loved to make Jewish things.

My Southern Jewish experience was filled with many happy family and community occasions with all kinds of Jewish foods and observances. My mother brought Jewish traditions (+ recipes) from Rhode Island and her family there to meld with the Southern Jewish heritage in southeast Arkansas and the other members of the congregation.  My father served many terms as President of the Temple in McGehee, AR, and worked hard to keep Judaism alive in our small southern town. All the congregants were very proud of the Temple there. It was a very meaningful part of our lives.

My wife, Betsy, and I are very proud to support MSJE so that future generations can learn about the wonderful and life impactful Southern Jewish Experience that we had growing up as Jews in the (in our case, rural) South. As so many of these communities wither and go away, it is so tremendous that this Museum exists to tell all of our stories and preserve the rich history that we lived, and commemorate the lives of those who made it happen. The Museum is wonderfully and artfully curated and the hard work and talent of the founders and staff of the MSJE is much appreciated.