THE "OLD" SOUTH MORE PROGRESSIVE AND CHARMING THAN STEREOTYPE

According to a recent article by AP writer, Jay Reeves a Jewish Community, Group dangles $50K for Jews who move to Ala. town

Larry Blumberg is looking for a few good Jews to move to his corner of the Bible Belt. Blumberg is chairman of an organization offering Jewish families as much as $50,000 to relocate to Dothan, an overwhelmingly Christian town of 58,000 that calls itself the Peanut Capital of the World. Get involved at Temple Emanu-El and stay at least five years, the group's leaders say, and the money doesn't have to be repaid...

"The biggest thing Dothan has to offer is that it's just a very family-oriented community," said Barnes, who directs a hospital foundation. "Our congregation is very vibrant, and we have a lot of things that we get involved in."

Rabbi Lynne Goldsmith didn't know quite what to expect when she moved to Dothan a year ago to lead the congregation at Temple Emanu-El, which was founded in 1929. She came with her husband, who directs the Jewish community services group.

A Connecticut native, the rabbi halfway expected the Alabama of old with wide-open racism and dirt roads. "The Northeast has a really warped perception of what the South is all about, and I found out it was all wrong," she said. "The South is a wonderful place to be. The people are warm and friendly. There's very little traffic. And best of all, there's no snow."

I grew up in Bonifay, FL about 40 minutes just south of Dothan, AL. For us, Dothan was the "big city." It was the closest place we could drive to see a mall and a movie. What is wonderful about Southern folks is that you'll find them accommodating and very open to new people and individuals. It has been my experience that unlike many left-wing Northerners who will "fight" for whole groups but do very little for a single individual (i.e. homeless) that they see everyday, Southerners will help, and demonstrate compassion through the actions of individual relationships. Just look at the vast migration patterns of recent decades with the North losing population and the South continues to grow. We must be doing something right (no pun intended). Sphere: Related Content