Monthly Archives: February 2017

1300 Whaley Street Columbia SC January 15, 2017 BETH SHALOM CEMETERY In 1883 members of Columbia’s Jewish community founded the Hebrew Cemetery Society of Columbia as an alternative to the Hebrew Benevolent Society’s cemetery, which had been established in 1822. The organization purchased a 4-acre tract bounded by Indigo (Whaley), Lower (Heyward), Marion, and Sumter streets as […]

December 11, 2016 Columbia SC   Tree of Life Synagogue In 1896 members of 18 Jewish families assembled to worship at the Independent Fire Company’s station overlooking Sidney Park. Organized as Etz Chayim (Tree of Life), this group’s members embraced Judaism’s Reform branch or liberal movement. In 1907, members moved into the first temple built in […]