The Ozarks Studies Institute, an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, will host Mara W. Cohen Ioannides for an author talk and signing of her newly published book, “Jews of Missouri: An Ornament to Israel.”

The discussion will be held Monday, March 7 at 4 p.m. in the Ozarks Room (302) of the Duane G. Meyer Library on the MSU Springfield Campus. The event, which is free and open to the public, will also be
livestreamed via Zoom.

“Jews of Missouri” was written to reincorporate minorities into the history of the state. The book, which
focuses on pre-World War I, is divided into four parts. The first looks at the creation of the state of
Missouri. The second examines the history of Jews in the United States and the state in broad terms,
along with examining issues of concern to the American Jewish community, like intermarriage, slavery
and military service. The third part presents the story of four Jewish families who lived across the state.
Finally, the appendix lists every town in Missouri that had a Jewish presence before the first World War.

Cohen Ioannides’s book, “Jews of Missouri: An Ornament to Israel,” is available for sale online and in person at the Duane G. Meyer Library. The book will be available for purchase at the event.

With degrees from Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon University, and The Spertus Institute of Jewish
Learning and Leadership, Mara W. Cohen Ioannides has studied the Jews of the Ozarks for more than
two decades. Cohen Ioannides is a faculty member of the English Department at Missouri State
University, and she is president of the Midwest Jewish Studies Association and the Ozarks Studies
Association. She is also the editor of the “Greene County Historical Society Online Encyclopedia.”
Cohen Ioannides’s awards and accolades include the following: finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, and she contributed a chapter to a book that received the Midwest Book Award. 

The Ozarks Studies Institute, an initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, seeks to preserve the
history and culture of the Ozarks by fostering a comprehensive knowledge of Ozarks’ people and their
heritage. The institute serves as an educational resource by collecting and discovering new knowledge
about the Ozarks and providing access to that knowledge.