Coalfield Jews - An Appalachian History

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Deborah Weiner is currently the Research Historian and Family History Coordinator at the Jewish Museum of Maryland in Baltimore, where she researches and writes about American Jewry, helps develop museum exhibitions, and guides people through the process of tracing their family histories. She teaches a public history class as an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore and has given presentations at synagogues, community centers, libraries, and other venues.

As a public historian, Deborah has written for numerous publications, including Generations, West Virginia Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Appalachia, and Now & Then. Most recently she contributed the entry on Baltimore Jewry for the newly-revised edition of the popular reference work, Encyclopaedia Judaica. She co-wrote the video documentary Lives Lost, Lives Found: Baltimore’s German-Jewish Refugees, 1933-1945, and co-edited the companion book. She has served as a consultant for the Public Broadcasting documentary The Righteous Remnant: The Jews of Beckley, West Virginia. She has also helped develop a study guide on American Jewish history for use in the West Virginia public school system.

Deborah's scholarly publications include essays in four edited collections:
Dixie Diaspora: An Anthology of Southern Jewish History (University of Alabama Press)
Beyond Hill and Hollow: Original Readings in Appalachian Women’s Studies (Ohio University Press)
Transnational West Virginia: Ethnic Work Communities during the Industrial Era (West Virginia University Press)
From Mobtown to Charm City: New Perspectives on Baltimore’s Past (Maryland Historical Society)

Her work has also appeared in such academic journals as Southern Jewish History, American Jewish Archives Journal, Journal of Appalachian Studies, and West Virginia History.

Deborah grew up in the Chicago area. Before becoming an historian, she worked as a community organizer and then as a freelance writer and editor for clients in Chicago, Baltimore, and West Virginia. She has a B.A. from Grinnell College, Iowa, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from West Virginia University.