Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina

About The Film

A sweeping chronicle of 400 years of Jewish life in the Tar Heel state, DOWN HOME interweaves interviews, reenactments and archival materials for a fascinating view of immigrant acculturation with a southern twist. The film illustrates how the Jewish search for opportunity and religious freedom played out in a region that, while deeply rural and impoverished, was also ready for growth and change. Thanks in large part to the transformative contributions of Jewish citizens, North Carolina emerged as a progressive leader in building the New South and the Sunbelt. DOWN HOME is a colorful panorama of Jewish social, cultural, economic and religious life in Dixie. This largely untold story was produced by The Jewish Heritage Foundation of North Carolina, part of a larger $1.25 million dollar project to preserve local Jewish history.