Tours
A Safe Haven for Civil Rights Meetings
Dr. John D. Bower’s office was in this basement location because the Artificial Kidney Unit that he directed was located just down the hall. The AKU, as it was known, was established by Dr. Bower using federal grant money and was the first renal dialysis facility in the state. The unique basement location of his office became important for another of Dr. Bower’s passionate interests.
Rabbi Perry Nussbaum had led the Beth Israel congregation in Jackson since 19541. He was a consistent supporter of the fight for social justice in Mississippi and although he tried initially to help behind the scenes, he ultimately became a target in the increasingly violent period of the mid to late 1960’s. In September of 1967, the Beth Israel Temple was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan2. In November of the same year, the Nussbaum home was bombed by the Klan3. During these turbulent times, Rabbi Nussbaum and John Bower became friends. Quoted years later in the Clarion-Ledger, Bower said of Nussbaum, "I saw in him as a man of great vision, a man who could see the injustice that existed in our culture. I didn't contribute anything; I just listened. He was fighting on many fronts.”4 Dr. Bower did, however, contribute in his own way. Realizing that the Klan could not easily plant a bomb in the basement of the University Medical Center, he would offer his office as a safe meeting place for civil rights leaders of the day. Nussbaum and other activists such the Reverend Robert Tabscott.
In his later years, Dr. Bower would recognize Rabbi Nussbaum by establishing the Rabbi Perry Nussbaum Lecture series at Millsaps College intended to memorialize Nussbaum’s courageous contributions to social justice.
Written by Dr. Ralph H. Didlake
Director, Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities
1Jewish Virtual Library. Perry Nussbaum. Accessed October 15, 2024.
2History of Beth Israel, Jackson, Mississippi, Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life website, History Department, Digital Archive, Mississippi, Jackson, Beth Israel. Accessed October 15, 2024.
3Clarion-Ledger coverage
4Clarion-Ledger. Rucker, LaReeca. A Lesson in Civil Rights: Rabbi Perry Nussbaum's role in 1960s Mississippi examined