Dedication of Columbia’s First Synagogue and Israelite Sunday School Historical Marker

November 9, 2008
Columbia SC

Columbia’s First Synagogue
In 1846 the Columbia Hebrew Benevolent Society Hall built a frame building on this site for the Israelite Sunday School which met on the first floor. The society organized the first formal congregation in Columbia, which was named Sherith Israel (Remnant of Israel) with its synagogue on the second floor. The building was burned when General William T. Sherman’s Federalists captured the city in 1865.

Israelite Sunday School
The Israelite Sunday School, the first Jewish religious schiil in Columbia and the seventh in the United States, met in a building in this sited until 1865. Founded in 1843 to give the city’s Jewish children “an intimate… and full exposition of our faith.” it was supported by the Columbia Hebrew Benevolent Society. Its 20-30 students first met nearby in space donated by a member of the society.

Erected By: Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina
Beth Shalom Synagogue Tree of Life Temple

Click Here to Read Article from Beth Shalom’s Bulletin

Location: Assembly Street between Washington and Hampton Streets
across from the Richland County Public Library’s Main Branch.