Upcoming Events

Jewish South Carolinians and the American Revolution

Saturday, May 3 – Sunday, May 4, 2025
Madren Center, Clemson University

Agenda

Saturday

11:00 “The Battle of Esseneca and Fort Rutledge Excursion”

See where it happened. This excursion will retrace history and orient participants to the location where the Battle of Esseneca occurred and where Francis Salvador died. It will conclude with a tour of the site of Fort Rutledge. Constructed in 1776, this fort played an important role in the fight for control of what is now the Upstate of South Carolina. Decommissioned and destroyed in 1780, this fort was largely forgotten to history…until now.

The excursion will be led by Dr. Josh Catalano, a Clemson University professor.  Dr. Catalano is an historian of the United States and a practitioner of both digital and public history. His research focuses on the role of symbolism and language in the process of settler colonialism. For the past several years, he has co-led a historical archaeology dig at the former site of Fort Rutledge.

12:30 Registration and lunch

1:00 Opening remarks Steve Savitz, president, JHSSC

1:00 – 1:30 Remarks  Bill Davies, Vice – Chairman, South Carolina 250 Commission

1:30– 2:00 PM  “South Carolina Hall of Fame: Francis Salvador” Video presentation Steve Folks, SCETV

2:15 – 3:15 “Francis Salvador, An Historic Short-Lived Presence in South Carolina’s Colonial Backcountry” Ed Poliakoff

3:15-3:30 BREAK

3:30 – 4::30 “Francis Salvador Through the Lens of History” Rebecca Stoil, Clemson University

6:30 Reception and dinner

Sunday

9:00 AM JHSSC Board meeting

10:00 AM – Noon “South Carolina’s Jewish Patriots”

George McDaniel, Anita Rosenberg

Moderated by: Max Daniel, Jewish Heritage Collection, College of Charleston

Conference fee:
$150 per person (includes Saturday lunch, reception, dinner, and Sunday brunch).

Hotels (please reserve no later than April 2, 2025 as we cannot guarantee the rate)

James F. Martin Inn at the Madren Center
864-654-9020 and ask for Jewish Historical Society rate.
$139 for double queen or king

Shepherd Hotel
110 Sloan Street, Clemson, SC
864-635-0100
BOOK HERE

Hampton Inn
851 Tiger Blvd. Clemson, SC
BOOK HERE

Local Restaurants
Rick Erwin’s Clemson.   864-774-5037
Calhoun Corners.           864-654-7490
Pixie and Bills.                 864-654-1210
Delish Sisters (in the Shepherd Hotel) 864-635-0100
Blue Heron in Pendleton. 864-653-3354

Ongoing Projects

JHSSC’s Jewish Merchant Project

For more than 300 years, Jewish settlers – from across the Atlantic and around the country – have made their homes in South Carolina. The earliest Jews populated Charleston, Georgetown, and later Columbia, where they held a variety of occupations and became immersed in civic life. By the late 1800s, Jewish merchants had set up shop on downtown streets in towns big and small, and more than 100 years later their legacy remains alive through their descendants. The Jewish Merchant Project (JMP) goal is to preserve memories of the men and women who have played vital roles in communities across South Carolina. Their stories are our history.

Beginning in 2017, the JHSSC partnered with Historic Columbia and the College of Charleston to undertake a state-wide survey of Jewish merchants, past and present. The JMP website is the foundational product of that survey and will capture the impact of Jewish businessmen and women on communities, large and small, as well as the networks of family and friends that led Jewish men and women to call this state home.

Jewish Merchant Project | Explore the Merchant Map

Historic Columbia and Columbia Jewish Heritage Initiative

Purpose: Identify and fill gaps in the documentation of Columbia’s Jewish History; Document stories of Holocaust survivors who settled in Columbia; Encourage dialogue by collecting and sharing stories, images, and documents; Broadcast information to diverse audiences through print and web-based media and public programs; Create an ongoing coalition to sustain the effort in the future; Record stories of elders of Columbia’s Jewish community. To read the entire article about the Columbia Jewish Heritage Initiative go to Page 11 of the Fall 2015 Magazine.

Contact:
To learn more about or participate in the Columbia Jewish Heritage Initiate,  go to www.historiccolumbia.org/CJHI or Contact: Robin Waites, Executive Director Historic Columbia, rwaites@historiccolumbia.org.

Are you planning an event pertaining to South Carolina Jewish History?
Contact us to have it listed here on our site.