Beth Israel
401 Scott St.
Beaufort, SC 29902
Year Built: 1908
Architect: Unknown. Construction was assisted by members of the congregation.
Years Active: 1905-Present
Congregation History
Early Jewish Settlers in Beaufort
Anglo-Americans established Beaufort, SC in 1711, though it is believed that the coastal town was home to Jewish settlers earlier. The first documentation of a Jewish person living in Beaufort was in the 1760s.1 The first Jews to settle in Beaufort and the surrounding area were of Sephardic origin.2 By 1715, a kosher beef shipping company was present, which not only implies that Jews were living in Charleston, but in the surrounding towns of Charleston, such as Beaufort, as well.3
In 1765, Peter Lavien, half-brother of Alexander Hamilton and son of a Jewish merchant, moved to Beaufort from Danish Saint Croix and became a successful merchant.4 Lavien was elected to the post of Church Warden for Saint Helena’s Anglican Church in 1768. This role included regular parish duties, as well as governmental responsibilities such as collecting taxes. It is not clear, however, if Lavien was actually a practicing Anglican or if this was a way he found to be civically active in Beaufort.5
Saul Solomons was also a notable Jewish resident of Beaufort, having emigrated from Germany in the late 18th century.6 He lived in Saint Peter’s Parish, just south of Beaufort, along the Savannah River. His brother, Hart Solomons, joined him in Beaufort after initially moving to Charleston.7 The brothers worked as cotton agents, and handled the sale of cotton in Savannah and Beaufort.8 The Solomons brothers belonged to Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim in Charleston, which, at the time, was still a relatively new congregation that adhered to the Sephardic Orthodox tradition. Because Beaufort did not have a formal congregation of its own, it was common to see Jews traveling elsewhere for worship.
Several tombstone inscriptions in the Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery in Savannah reveal that Jews were present in Beaufort in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.9 Some of the headstones indicate that while the departed were buried in Savannah, the location of their death was in Beaufort. Mordecai Sheftall’s (1735-1797) father Benjamin was one of the original settlers in Savannah.10 Mordecai was a successful merchant in Savannah and had purchased land to establish a Jewish cemetery, as well as helped establish the Mickve Israel congregation in Savannah. Frances Freidal Hart Sheftall, Mordecai’s wife, moved to Beaufort after his death, but was buried alongside him in Savannah in the Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery in 1820.11 Most Beaufort Jews and other Jews from the surrounding area of Savannah were buried in that cemetery before Beaufort’s own was established.
A Growing Community
By 1878, an estimated 29 Jews were living in Beaufort.12 Between 1881 and 1924, an estimated 2.5 million Jewish immigrants, mostly from Eastern Europe, emigrated to the United States, increasing Beaufort’s Jewish population by nearly four times.13 These Eastern European Jews brought the Yiddish language and culture to a town that was dominated by Jews of Sephardic descent. The Jewish immigrants who settled in Beaufort were able to gain some status by starting their own businesses. While most opened grocery stores and dry goods stores, the phosphate mining industry in Beaufort, which thrived in the 1870s and 1880s, gave Jewish immigrants the drive to open up shop in Beaufort and the surrounding areas, with mine workers as their biggest clientele.14 Bay Street became Beaufort’s main commercial thoroughfare and, in the first half of the 20th century, was home to many Jewish-owned stores.15 Not all Beaufort Jews were merchants, however. Many found their calling in agriculture, repairwork, plumbing, cobbling, electrical work, baking, printing, and even junk dealing. William N. Levin, esq. was the first Jewish professional to reside in Beaufort.16 By 1937, the Jewish population in Beaufort had grown to just over 100 individuals.17
The Synagogue Next to the Arsenal
The Jewish community did not formally organize Congregation Beth Israel until October 16, 1905 when it received its charter from the state, which they needed to “jointly buy and hold title to land.”18 The Charter states that the Corporation, Beth Israel Congregation, was a religious corporation and that they were then allowed to purchase land to build a synagogue.19 Initially, the congregation held Orthodox services in the Masonic Hall above a Bay Street shop, while social functions were held in the Beaufort Arsenal.20 Some smaller gatherings were also held in private homes and apartments.21 By 1907, Beth Israel had 36 members and only held services on the High Holidays.22 However, a lot was for sale at No. 401 Scotts Street, which happened to be directly adjacent to the Arsenal.23 Despite their small membership, the congregation felt that this was the perfect opportunity to purchase land to build a formal synagogue. In 1908, Beth Israel Congregation purchased the land, raised money, and built the synagogue with the help of congregation members by June of that year.24 Services at Beth Israel followed Orthodox customs, and men and women sat segregated.25
The Jewish community decided in 1910 to establish their own cemetery. The land was purchased and by 1912, the cemetery was officially established. Beaufort Jews no longer had to be buried in Savannah or Charleston.26 The Julia Mittle Ladies Auxiliary Society was credited in Beth Israel’s minutes with assisting the congregation with cemetery and congregational expenses through fundraising.27 In 1917, Beth Israel formalized its constitution, and in it, included plans to establish a Sunday school for children.28 They also later purchased a parsonage for the rabbi in 1920.29 Congregation Beth Israel has been able to consistently retain a full-time religious leader, be it a rabbi or a lay leader, ever since.
Jews and Christians reportedly “got along fine” in Beaufort, and there was much crossover of social activities. One Beth Israel congregant, Julian Levin, would attend the Methodist church with his friends as part of his social activities.30 Jewish men were active in non-Jewish organizations, such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Masons, and the Yacht Club. Jews were excluded from the local country club. Despite this, Herbert Keyserling, a Beaufort physician, was able to be admitted after his friends vouched on his behalf.31
Post-War Shift
In the 1930s and early 1940s, service attendance was low and meetings were held sporadically, most likely because of the war.32 By 1943, the congregation resumed a regular service schedule. Women’s names and the Ladies Auxiliary began to appear in the minutes in the mid-1940s, suggesting that women started to take on roles in the congregation that traditionally belonged to men. Beth Israel officially made a transition from Orthodox to Conservative Judaism in 1949.33 Plans were made to build an annex that would become the recreation center for the congregation, which was completed in the early 1950s.34
Today
Today, Beth Israel Congregation is a small congregation with about 85 families in membership.35 Services are held every Friday evening and Saturday mornings, and there are many social and religious events held throughout the year.36 There is a religious school that usually has classes on Saturday mornings, though recently, the religious school is not active.37 At the present time, Beth Israel does not have a permanent rabbi. Their services are led by congregation members who act as lay leaders. Though, they often have visiting rabbis, cantors, and other special guests.38
Architectural Description:
The Beth Israel synagogue in Beaufort, SC is a single-story wooden structure built in the Colonial Revival style in 1908. The entire building is covered in white-painted clapboard siding. The roof is a metal seam front-gable roof with a brick chimney on the south side of the building. The cornice on the pediment that makes up the front, or western, facade is plain, and frames the portico that protrudes out, also in a front-gable shape. The portico is held up by two engaged and two freestanding Doric columns. Underneath the portico, the ceiling is painted Haint Blue. The front door is a wooden double door, with the synagogue’s emblem that reads “Beth Israel Cong.” in both English and Hebrew with a Star of David in the middle. On either side of the portico are pointed lancet 5-over-4 windows, single-sash, with white wooden frames and sills. The floor of the porch, along with the pathway at ground-level, and the 6 steps connecting them, are made of red brick.
Endnotes
1. “ISJL – South Carolina Beaufort Encyclopedia.” 2021. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 2021.
2. “History of Temple Beth Israel | Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.” 2020. Jhssc.org. 2020.
3-9. “ISJL – South Carolina Beaufort Encyclopedia.” 2021. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 2021.
10-11. “Mordecai Sheftall (1735-1797) – Find a Grave…” 2021. Findagrave.com. 2021.
12-17. “ISJL – South Carolina Beaufort Encyclopedia.” 2021. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 2021.
18. “ISJL – South Carolina Beaufort Encyclopedia.” 2021. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 2021.; “History of Temple Beth Israel | Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.” 2020. Jhssc.org. 2020.
19. “History of Temple Beth Israel | Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.” 2020. Jhssc.org. 2020.
20. “ISJL – South Carolina Beaufort Encyclopedia.” 2021. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 2021.
21. “History of Temple Beth Israel | Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.” 2020. Jhssc.org. 2020.
22. “ISJL – South Carolina Beaufort Encyclopedia.” 2021. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 2021.
23-24. “History of Temple Beth Israel | Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.” 2020. Jhssc.org. 2020.
25-28. “ISJL – South Carolina Beaufort Encyclopedia.” 2021. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 2021.
29. “History of Temple Beth Israel | Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.” 2020. Jhssc.org. 2020.
30-32. “ISJL – South Carolina Beaufort Encyclopedia.” 2021. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 2021.
33. “History of Temple Beth Israel | Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.” 2020. Jhssc.org. 2020.
34. “ISJL – South Carolina Beaufort Encyclopedia.” 2021. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 2021.
35-38. “Beth Israel Synagogue.” 2014. Beth Israel Synagogue. 2014. https://www.bethisraelbeaufortsc.com/.