Temple Sinai – Sumter SCDonates Archives to the College of Charleston The study of Jewish history is continually enriched by the appearance of exciting source materials in unexpected places. In 1947, with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls near the ancient West Bank settlement of Khirbet Qumran, a new chapter opened in early Jewish history. In 2007, with the donation […]
Pee Dee Pioneers In 1888 the town of Dillon began sprouting up around a railroad depot built amid pine trees on swampy land of little value, not far from the North Carolina border. A number of Jewish immigrants and their families settled in Dillon and neighboring towns such as Little Rock and Latta. Many played […]
November 9, 2008Columbia SC Columbia’s First SynagogueIn 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 […]
90 Hasell StreetCharleston, SC History The history of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim is a heritage in which all American Jews can take pride. It is a story of faith, devotion, and perseverance in the American tradition of freedomof worship. Charleston was founded in 1670, and the earliest known reference to a Jew in the English […]
Founded July 15, 1801Charleston, SC “This Society was founded in 1801. Its object is explained in the following preamble to its constitution: ” Whereas, at a meeting of Israelites held in Charleston on the 15th day of July, 1801, it was resolved that a Hebrew Society should be formed, for the purpose of relieving widows, […]
The Oldest Jewish Charitable Society in the United States Founded June 25, 1784 Charleston, SC The Hebrew Benevolent Society Charleston, South Carolina 225th Anniversary November 21, 2009 Francis Marion Hotel Charleston, SC Click here to see the program The Seal of the Hebrew Benevolent Society of Charleston 1784 Click here to read booklet from 225th Anniversary […]
Synagogue Emanu-El at 605 Windsor DriveCharleston, SC 29407 Charleston’s Synagogue Emanu-El celebrated its 60th anniversary on November 11, 2007, with a huge gala in the newly refurbished Zucker Social Hall. A sold-out crowd enjoyed an evening of magnificent décor, marvelous food, and exciting entertainment. The event commemorated six decades of congregational life, and also culminated […]
Bluffton’s Oseh Shalom: From 17 to 500 Members in Four Years Bluffton, South Carolina, is located in southern Beaufort County, almost equidistant from Hilton Head Island and Savannah, Georgia. Thee town dates from the early 1800s when Lowcountry rice and cotton planters seeking high ground and cool river breezes built residences in what was then […]
Charleston Jewry: 320 Years and Counting Charleston, South Carolina, was one of a handful of port cities where the early years of American Jewish history were played out. Jewish immigrants began arriving in the colonial capital as early as the 1690s, drawn by the promise of economic opportunity and the town’s reputation for religious freedom. As […]
Camden, SC Baruch Plaques Saved from the Scrap Heap — based on an article in the Newsletter of the Friends of the Camden Archives and Museum, April 2001 Four bronze plaques that once hung on the walls of Camden’s first hospital were saved from the scrap metal heap by Harry Kline, owner of Camden Steel and […]