Memphis’ illustrious Jews

, the first page I turned to in my Memphis travel guide mentioned the Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art. Belz is a name that I had associated exclusively with the chasidic dynasty, but it turns out there’s a whole different Belz dynasty, as Memphians well know. I was most impressed by the Belz family’s commitment to their hometown. It seemed to be about much more than their business of property development. One gets the impression — and I admit, this is just an impression based on a quick visit — that everything Belz Enterprises does is motivated in large part by the Belz family’s desire to see Memphis thrive. For example, when the famed Peabody Hotel was awaiting the wrecking ball, it was […]