History
The seeds of the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina (JHSSC) were sown in 1993 at a panel discussion sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program at the College of Charleston. The topic under consideration was Jewish life in small towns across South Carolina, and panelists spoke with a sense of urgency about the decline of the communities where they grew up and, more generally, about the disappearance of the small-town Jew. The only way to preserve living memories of this once vigorous element of the Jewish Diaspora was to start recording oral history interviews immediately. In April 1994 the Historical Society was formally inaugurated for the express purpose of encouraging the collection, study, and interpretation of South Carolina Jewish history and to increase awareness of that heritage among Jews and non-Jews.
JHSSC meets twice a year in different cities and towns across South Carolina, publishes a biannual magazine, and maintains an active website. In partnership with local communities, the Society sponsors historical markers at sites of Jewish interest. Its statewide survey of Jewish burial grounds, accessible on this site, continues to expand, as additional tombstones are photographed and genealogical information discovered. Photographs and indexes of memorial plaques in South Carolina synagogues also serve to keep the names of our ancestors alive.
JHSSC’s major research initiatives have been developed under the auspices of the Jewish Heritage Collection housed in Special Collections at the College of Charleston’s Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library. More than 600 oral histories pertaining to South Carolina Jewish history and culture have been recorded. Project staff and volunteers have compiled an extensive manuscript collection, including records of families, businesses, synagogues, and Jewish organizations. The archives contains thousands of manuscripts, historic photographs, genealogical records, and fieldwork files.
For a detailed history of the Society, see our Spring 2014 magazine celebrating our 20th anniversary.