Project Description
"The Gangster Buffs of Charleston, WV: Jewish Safety in a 20th Century Appalachian City" is a personal history in broad social context. Our research team uses geneological, archival, and newspaper research to shed light on the history of the Jewish community in Charleston, West Virginia. The objective of this work is to understand the practices and costs of securing Jewish safety in this small southern city. We look at the passage of the Buff family from the racial terror of pogroms in Lithuania into the comparative safety of the Eastern European Jewish enclave in Charleston. Conscious of the long history of Jewish migrations in Europe, we examine the ways this immigrant community made home in context of twentieth century racial capitalism.
Tasks and Responsibilites
The student has become a team leader, helping to orient new researchers and bringing their keen archival eye to our work. Right now they are working with historical newspapers from Charleston to contextualize some of what we are learning about the family; they have also done prodigious research on the indigenous history of the region.