Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim

Congregation History

Colonial Roots
Charles Town was first settled by the English in 1670 in what is present-day West Ashley. The settlement was named for King Charles II after he granted the land to the Lords Proprietors for the colony of Carolina. The settlement moved to the peninsula just a few short years after arriving due to the strategic location between the two rivers.¹ Charles Town quickly made its name in trading and shipping, particularly enslaved peoples, rice, and indigo. As a result,  it became a booming port city in the young colony. The Lords Proprietors wanted to ensure the settlement was religiously tolerant and guaranteed religious freedom. Walking down the streets, one could see French Huguegnots, Anabaptists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Jews, Lutherans, Methodists, Catholics, indigenous, and African peoples by 1786. The city was later renamed Charleston in 1783 just prior to the end of the American Revolution.²

The first documented Jew in Charles Towne was a Spanish translator in 1695. The earliest Jews to immigrate and settle in Charles Town arrived from either England or from one of England’s colonies located in the western hemisphere.³ Charles Town’s Jewish community began to flourish in the early- to mid-1700s when more Jewish immigrants arrived in pursuit of economic opportunity in the bustling port city.⁴ By 1749, enough Jews had settled in Charles Town to form a congregation that they named Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, meaning Holy Community of the House of God. The congregation often called themselves Beth Elohim, and it was the fourth congregation to be established in what would become the United States. Joseph Tobias served as the first president and Isaac Da Costa as the first chazzan; the congregation made the decision to worship in the Sephardic style that was popular around the Atlantic World.⁵

In 1764,  the congregation purchased  land for a Jewish cemetery. Despite having a cemetery, the congregation did not have a permanent synagogue until 1794. Prior to the building of the original synagogue, the small group would meet in member’s homes. In 1780, they moved to a brick building rented by the congregation. 53 families were members of the congregation and they were able to purchase land for the synagogue in 1791. Construction was completed in 1794, more likely than not with the help of enslaved labor. It was built in a similar Georgian style to nearby churches, with the inner sanctuary being in the traditional Sephardic manner.⁶ The bima was in the center of the floor facing the ark, and the women had a separate balcony.

Congregants intensely regulated and policed the others behavior. Among some of the offenses that members could be fined and excommunicated over included interfaith marriage, violating the Sabbath, and a prohibition on forming another congregation. Lesser offenses were also subject to routine fines. Beth Elohim observed the same rites as other synagogues in the United States during this time and was strictly Orthodox.⁷ As was the case in other synagogues, women were exempt from much of the daily religious obligations. However, this does not mean that they did not hold important roles in day to day life. Many of Charleston’s married Jewish women were given the status of single woman so their husband’s property could be transferred to them. Rachel Harby, Rebecca DeMendes Benjamin, and Ann Huguenin Alexander were all given the status of single woman. Rebecca Isaiah Moses had her own dry goods listing in the city directory and her daughter Hannah A. Moses Abrahams was listed as the head of a household in 1840.

The Great American Reformation
Around 700 Jews lived in Charleston in 1820, the single largest population of Jews in the United States during this time.  In 1826, around 1,200 were estimated to be living in the whole of South Carolina.⁸ By this time, a significant number of Beth Elohim’s congregants were incensed with the strict regulations and other aspects, including the lack of decorum during services, a call for English sermons, shorter services, and less Hebrew in the services because many members could not understand the language.⁹ Two-thirds of the complainants were native-born Americans and were largely middle- and upper-middle class wanting to assimilate, potentially a factor in their submitting of a petition to Beth Elohim’s leadership (adjunta). On December 23, 1824, a group of 47 men wrote their list of grievances and noted that many of the reforms they were asking for had already been introduced to congregations in the Netherlands, Germany, and Prussia.¹⁰ In January 1925, the group delivered their petition to the adjunta and were denied.¹¹ After their petition was denied, twelve of the partitioners broke away from Beth Elohim and formed their own congregation, which they called “The Reformed Society of Israelites.”

Within a year, the Reformed Society of Israelites boasted 50 members and Beth Elohim’s membership briefly dipped to 70 before growing once again.¹² The Society met in a local Masonic Hall and moved away from strictly ritual grievances. They soon adopted a critique of Rabbinic Judaism in which they rejected Talmudic law, citing it as being incompatible with the modern world. Among the changes they introduced,  they allowed women to sing in the choir with men and they developed a confirmation service for girls.¹³ The Society became very popular  and grew rapidly. Unfortunately, it did not last long. Isaac N. Cardozo, a speaker at the Society’s third anniversary meeting, explained  that being a reformer was never easy and their path was “beset with a thousand obstacles.”¹⁴ Shortly after his speech, two of Cardoza’s colleagues at the Society left Charleston for other cities and the group continued to decline. Overall, Charleston was entering a decline. Other potential reasons for the Society’s failure include the complete lack of fellow Reform movements in the U.S., a lack of Reform rabbis, weak theological knowledge and authority, as well as potentially the belief that the reforms they wanted would be better accepted if they came from within KKBE.¹⁵ Despite their early success and because of their recent failures, they unofficially disbanded in 1833.  Most members rejoined Beth Elohim and the Reformed Society of Israelites ceased to exist as a whole by 1838.¹⁶ After the two congregations came back together , Beth Elohim began to embrace reforms within Judaism and implemented many practices characteristic of the Reform Movement today. The congregation organized a new constitution in 1836 in which the new rites were included. Among these changes, one was the introduction of sermons in English.

The fire of April 1838 destroyed Ansonborough, a neighborhood in Charleston that spans from John Street to North Market and from Meeting Street east to the water’s edge. This neighborhood includes Beth Elohim, and the synagogue was destroyed in the fire. The congregation resolved to rebuild atop the ruins. David Lopez Jr. was hired to construct the building that was designed by architects Tappan and Noble. Skilled and enslaved African Americans were instrumental in the reconstruction. Lopez, a prominent Charlestonian, was an enslaver and he also paid at least one other enslaver for enslaved labor. Kit and George were two of the men forced to work on the reconstruction. By 1840, construction of the synagogue that continues to stand today was finished.¹⁷

Gustavus Poznanski, a talented musician, began serving  as the new chazzan in 1836 and he advocated for additional reforms around the same time the synagogue was being rebuilt. Poznanski was well-liked among many members of Beth Elohim and was elected “minister for life.” Alongside a large number of congregants, he petitioned the adjunta to have an organ installed “to assist in the vocal parts of the service,” but his popularity waned after he sided with those wanting the organ.¹⁸ The adjunta did not fully reject the petition due to the large number of supporters, though there was hearty dissent from the traditionalists who had grown to reject and resent Poznanski.¹⁹ Adding to this growing disdain for the chazzan, Poznanski began pushing for additional, more radical reformations. The battle over the organ installation led the warring factions to court. The case appeared before the South Carolina Court of Appeals where it was ultimately decided that the rabbi had the final say and that the Court had no jurisdiction over a religious congregation’s internal affairs.²⁰ The traditionalists ended up leaving Beth Elohim before the case could be finalized and organized under a new congregation named Shearith Israel.This split was among the first in the United States to be rooted in  ideological and denominational differences and not about  country of origin.²¹ After the split, the Reformers ensured that the organ would be installed by constituting a majority on the Board after a constitutional amendment was made to increase the number of Board members. An organ was purchased in 1841.²²

After the split and introduction of an organ, the reformers were further emboldened by their majority on the Board and began instituting a number of other changes. Chief among these were modifications of the Maimonidean creed, traditional prayers, and hymns. Once again, tensions flared. As such, it was decided that any major change would have to be voted on by the congregation and not just the Board.²³ One major change that was proposed by Poznanski was incredibly controversial. He proposed to not observe the second day of holy days.²⁴

Sally Lopez introduced a religious school in 1838, which Penina Moïse then guided, making this the second Jewish religious school to be established in  the United States.²⁵ Lopez, daughter of David Lopez and sister of David Lopez Jr., worked with Rebecca Gratz in Philadelphia on materials for the first religious schools in the United States. Lopez would make copies of Gratz’s work and would then distribute them to other teachers. Peninah Moïse was an early American poet and her 1833 volume Fancy’s Sketch Book was the first poetry volume to be published by a Jewish American woman. She also wrote hymns for KKBE that were then sung across the country.

By 1842, there were 50 students and it was among the largest of the sectarian schools in Charleston. Two years later, Shearith Israel introduced their own religious school for Orthodox students, though it was the less popular choice. Among Charleston’s Jewish leadership, the women who led the religious school were championed for their work because a lack of religious education was seen as the main barrier between young Jews and conversion.²⁶

Pozananski served as  the leader of Beth Elohim until 1850, at which point Julius Eckman and Maurice Mayer arrived. In 1852, new Central and Eastern European immigrants had begun arriving in Charleston. These more Orthodox newcomers were not comfortable with Shearith Israel nor with Beth Elohim, as one was too Sephardic and the other too Americanized. As such, they organized in 1854 under a separate congregation named Berith Shalom.²⁷ [to continue reading about Berith, or Brith, Sholom, refer to the BSBI narrative]

[Post]Bellum Congregation
Beth Elohim  was inactive for most of the Civil War.²⁸ Fearing that Charleston would might be invaded by General William T. Sherman’s forces, the congregation sent the Torah scrolls and organ to Columbia for protection. Unfortunately, these items were destroyed during General William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea and the capture of Columbia.

Both Beth Elohim and Shearith Israel sustained heavy damage structurally. War also reduced membership in both congregations drastically, as such, the two congregations believed it would be beneficial to reunite. Since Shearith Israel boasted a larger membership than Beth Elohim, the two congregations compromised and decided the reborn congregation would use Beth Elohim’s name and synagogue.²⁹ It was further agreed that they would follow Sephardic Orthodox rites rather than Reform rites, and the Sabbath service would be shortened. The service included both Orthodox and Reform elements, merging the traditions to which both congregations were accustomed.

In 1872, Beth Elohim fully embraced Reform Judaism. A year later, the congregation became a founding member of Isaac Mayer Wise’s Union of American Hebrew Congregations.³⁰ By 1879, the interior of the synagogue was adapted to family style pews so men and women could sit together, and the schochet was gone.³¹

KKBE after the War
Rabbi Jacob Raisin served as the vice president of Charleston’s Zionist district, though none of his actions appeared too concerned with his Zionism.³² He served at the helm of KKBE from 1915 until 1944, and he was Rabbi Emeritus from 1944 until his death in 1946.³³ It was during his tenure that he suggested to the board that women be able to hold office and vote in the congregation. This amendment was added to the congregation constitution in June of 1919.³⁴ Throughout his time at KKBE, Rabbi Raisin also frequently traveled to smaller congregations throughout the state in order to help communities maintain their ties to religious Judaism

Following the end of the second world war, Orthodox Jews made up the majority of Charleston’s Jewish population at 58%. At this time, there were a recorded 270 Reform family unit members.³⁵ After Rabbi Raisin’s departure, there was a series of rabbis: Rabbi Leonard Kasle, 1944 – 1945; Rabbi Sidney E. Unger, 1945 – 1946; and Rabbi Bertram Kalusner, 1946 – 1947.³⁶ There were a recorded 2,000 Jews in Charleston in 1950.³⁷

Rabbi Allan Tarshish served as  rabbi from 1947 until 1961.³⁸ He is known for writing about Charleston Jewish history including but not limited to the population and the Charleston Organ Case from 1844. Before leaving, he briefly served on the Jewish Community Relations Committee of Charleston which looked to ease anxiety about the growing civil rights movement.³⁹

Rabbi Burton L. Padoll served as the rabbi for KKBE for six years, between 1961 and 1967. Padoll was an advocate for racial equality and the Civil Rights Movement. During his tenure, he organized a short-lived biracial discussion group with local Black ministers like Henry Grant and others. He was also at KKBE during the Upper King Street Boycott in 1965. As part of his belief in social justice and racial equality, Rabbi Padoll would often discuss these issues in his sermons, many of which can be found now in the College of Charleston Special Collections. He also marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Washington, D.C., for Vietnam but not when Dr. King came to Charleston due to community strife. Following continued issues over Rabbi Padoll’s advocacy, he resigned from the synagogue in 1967.

Following Rabbi Padoll’s resignation in 1967, KKBE employed Rabbi Ed Cohen from 1968 until 1976, followed by  Rabbi William A. “Bill” Rosenthall from 1976 until 1992. He was Rabbi Emeritus from 1992 until his death in 2005.

During Rabbi Rosenthall’s time at KKBE, he was interested in interfaith cooperation and served as  president of both the Christian-Jewish Council of Charleston and the Ministerial Association of Greater Charleston.⁴⁰ Rabbi Rosenthall was an avid collector of postcards and other Judaica throughout his lifetime. His collection of over 5,000 prints and postcards are now housed at the College of Charleston’s Special Collections, many of which can be viewed online at the Lowcountry Digital Library.

In 1981, Rita Landesman Banov was elected to be the first woman president of KKBE. ⁴¹

Following Rabbi Rosenthall’s retirement in 1992, Rabbi Anthony D. Holz took over until he retired in 2010. He has since become Rabbi Emeritus.⁴² While at KKBE, he was also a volunteer chaplain for the Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy.⁴³

Rabbi Stephanie Alexander joined Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim in the summer of 2010 and Rabbi Greg Kanter joined in 2016. Alongside Christian pastors and ministers, Rabbi Alexander was part of the founding members of the Charleston Area Justice Ministry, or CAJM. This group is composed of over 30 congregations that work to make Charleston and the surrounding area a more just place.⁴⁴

Due to a rapid increase in laws in South Carolina  that target lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, Rabbi Kanter and his family made the difficult decision to leave Charleston.  His resignation took effect on June 30, 2024.⁴⁵ Rabbi Joseph Rosen was hired as Associate Rabbi in the summer of 2024. He previously served Beth Israel in Jackson, Mississippi.

As of 2023, there are roughly 500 member households for which a variety of programming is provided for.

Endnotes

¹ Nicholas Butler, Ph.D., “Time Line — Rediscovering Charleston’s Colonial Colonial Fortifications.”
² “A Historic Overview of Charleston, SC | Charleston Area CVB.”
³ Marcie Cohen Ferris and Mark I. Greenberg, Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History.
⁴ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
⁵ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
⁶ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
⁷ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
⁸ Tarshish, “The Charleston Organ Case.”
⁹ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
¹⁰ Marcie Cohen Ferris and Mark I. Greenberg, Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History.
¹¹ Marcie Cohen Ferris and Mark I. Greenberg.
¹² “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
¹³ Solomon Breibart, “The Status of Women in KKBE to 1920.”
¹⁴ Marcie Cohen Ferris and Mark I. Greenberg, Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History.
¹⁵ Tarshish, “The Charleston Organ Case.”
¹⁶ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia”; Marcie Cohen Ferris and Mark I. Greenberg, Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History.
¹⁷ Marcie Cohen Ferris and Mark I. Greenberg, Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History; “SC Synagogue Remembers Enslaved Black People Who Built It.”
¹⁸ Marcie Cohen Ferris and Mark I. Greenberg, Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History.
¹⁹ Tarshish, “The Charleston Organ Case”; Marcie Cohen Ferris and Mark I. Greenberg, Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History.
²⁰ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
²¹ Rosengarten, Rosengarten, and McKissick Museum, A Portion of the People.
²² Tarshish, “The Charleston Organ Case.”
²³ Tarshish.
²⁴ Rosengarten, Rosengarten, and McKissick Museum, A Portion of the People.
²⁵ Rosengarten, Rosengarten, and McKissick Museum.
²⁶ Rosengarten, Rosengarten, and McKissick Museum.
²⁷ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
²⁸ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
²⁹ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
³⁰ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
³¹ Breibart, “The Synagogues of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Charleston”; “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
³² “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
³³ Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim: Birthplace of Reform Judaism in America, in Celebration of the Closing of the Anniversary Year, October 27, 2000 — 29 Tishri 5761.
³⁴ Solomon Breibart, “The Status of Women in KKBE to 1920.”
³⁵ “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.”
³⁶ Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim: Birthplace of Reform Judaism in America, in Celebration of the Closing of the Anniversary Year, October 27, 2000 — 29 Tishri 5761.
³⁷ “Jewish Community of Charleston, South Carolina, Maps Plans for 200th Anniversary.”
³⁸ Burton Padoll, 1929-2004, Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral History Interview with Burton Padoll; Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim: Birthplace of Reform Judaism in America, in Celebration of the Closing of the Anniversary Year, October 27, 2000 — 29 Tishri 5761.
³⁹ Allen Krause, “Charleston Jewry, Black Civil Rights, and Rabbi Burton Padoll.”
⁴⁰ “William Rosenthall Obituary (2005) – Charleston, SC – Charleston Post & Courier.”
⁴¹ Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim: Birthplace of Reform Judaism in America, in Celebration of the Closing of the Anniversary Year, October 27, 2000 — 29 Tishri 5761.
⁴² “About -> Clergy and Staff – Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim.”
⁴³ “800 Attend Banquet of Crisis Chaplaincy.”
⁴⁴ “About -> Clergy and Staff – Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim”; “Our History and Our Future.”
⁴⁵ Keene, “Citing Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation, a South Carolina Rabbi Plans to Move.”

“A Historic Overview of Charleston, SC | Charleston Area CVB.” Accessed October 27, 2022. https://www.charlestoncvb.com/media/media-kit/historic-overview/.

“About -> Clergy and Staff – Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim.” Accessed December 5, 2023. https://www.kkbe.org/staff.

Allen Krause. “Charleston Jewry, Black Civil Rights, and Rabbi Burton Padoll.” Southern Jewish History: Journal of the Southern Jewish Historical Society 11 (2008).

Breibart, Solomon. “The Synagogues of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Charleston.” The South Carolina Historical Magazine 80, no. 3 (1979): 215–35.

Burton Padoll, 1929-2004. Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral History Interview with Burton Padoll, October 21, 1999. Lowcountry Digital Library. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:36578.

Charleston Area Justice Ministry. “Our History and Our Future,” March 7, 2018. https://charlestonareajusticeministry.org/about/history-and-future/.

Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. “ISJL – South Carolina Charleston Encyclopedia.” Accessed September 22, 2022. https://www.isjl.org/south-carolina-charleston-encyclopedia.html.

Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Jewish Community of Charleston, South Carolina, Maps Plans for 200th Anniversary,” March 20, 2015. https://www.jta.org/archive/jewish-community-of-charleston-south-carolina-maps-plans-for-200th-anniversary.

Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim: Birthplace of Reform Judaism in America, in Celebration of the Closing of the Anniversary Year, October 27, 2000 — 29 Tishri 5761. Charleston, S.C.: Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, 2000.

Keene, Louis. “Citing Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation, a South Carolina Rabbi Plans to Move.” The Forward, June 22, 2023. https://forward.com/news/551498/rabbi-resigns-anti-gay-lgbtq-south-carolina-synagogue-trans/.

Legacy.com. “William Rosenthall Obituary (2005) – Charleston, SC – Charleston Post & Courier.” Accessed December 7, 2023. https://obits.postandcourier.com/us/obituaries/charleston/name/william-rosenthall-obituary?id=27444125.

Marcie Cohen Ferris and Mark I. Greenberg. Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History. Waltham, Massachusetts: Brandeis University Press, 2006.

Nicholas Butler, Ph.D. “Time Line — Rediscovering Charleston’s Colonial Colonial Fortifications.” Rediscovering Charleston’s Colonial Fortifications (blog), February 22, 2019. https://walledcitytaskforce.org/educational-resources/time-line/.

Post and Courier. “800 Attend Banquet of Crisis Chaplaincy.” February 10, 2011. https://www.postandcourier.com/news/800-attend-banquet-of-crisis-chaplaincy/article_1ae0f653-46f1-5ffa-9461-ed9d60f45c16.html.

“Rabbi William A. Rosenthall « Judaica Collection and Papers.” Accessed December 7, 2023. https://rosenthall.library.cofc.edu/.

Rosengarten, Theodore, Dale Rosengarten, and McKissick Museum, eds. A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life. Columbia, S.C: University of South Carolina Press in association with McKissick Museum, 2002.

Solomon Breibart. “The Status of Women in KKBE to 1920.” Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, April 1984.

South Carolina Public Radio. “SC Synagogue Remembers Enslaved Black People Who Built It,” September 13, 2021. https://www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/sc-news/2021-09-13/sc-synagogue-remembers-enslaved-black-people-who-built-it.

Tarshish, Allan. “The Charleston Organ Case.” American Jewish Historical Quarterly 54, no. 4 (1965): 411–49.