Jewish food with a Southern twist is the focus of a Feb. 22 program presented by the Augusta Jewish Museum.
Rachel Gordin Barnett and Lyssa Kligman Harvey, the authors of “Kugels & Collards” “will lead a discussion exploring how recipes, photographs and personal memories reveal generations of tradition, identity and cultural exchange at the Southern Jewish table. Their book highlights the powerful role food plays in preserving history and bringing communities together,” according to the Augusta Jewish Museum website.
Guests are invited to participate in a kugel cookoff after the presentation.
Participants are encouraged to bring their favorite kugel—sweet or savory—along with a written recipe. Prizes will be awarded for the best kugel in each category. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase the book from the Book Tavern and have their copy signed by the author, from the Book Tavern, the website continued.
The event will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Congregation Children of Israel, 3005 Walton Way. Call (706) 426-1542 or email info@augustajewishmuseum.org for more information.
Located at 525 Telfair St., the Augusta Jewish Museum is the result of two historic buildings – the Synagogue of the Congregation of B’nai Israel (Children of Israel) which is the oldest standing synagogue in the state of Georgia and one of the oldest in the United States and Richmond County’s Court of the Ordinary – being saved from the wrecking ball.
On Tuesday, April 21, 2020, the Augusta Commission approved the plans to construct the Augusta Jewish Museum through Phase One of the Court of Ordinary renovation. The Phase One restoration was completed in July 2021, the deeds were turned over to Augusta Jewish Museum, and community programming began. The museum’s exhibits were completed and opened in July 2024, according to the museum’s website.
The Augusta Jewish Museum Education Center includes five exhibit rooms with over 45 unique objects dating from 1860 to the present which provide context and insight into the storytelling of each exhibit room.
The welcome room features a timeline of Jewish people in the Augusta area; the community room focuses on community contributions by Jewish Augustans; another room features Jewish life highlighting customs and holidays; another room focuses on the Holocaust and features a Torah scroll that survived and another room highlights the nation of Israel.
The museum is open for tours from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
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