History of Jews in Charleston
Many of the first Jews in Charleston were of Sephardic descent, meaning that their origins were from Spain and Portugal. By the 1730’s Charleston had enough Jewish families to create a congregation and by 1749 Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE) was formed. As time progressed, German speaking Jews (from Poland and Prussia) became the majority in Charleston. KKBE built a synagogue on Hasell Street in 1794. This synagogue would be replaced after a fire and along with a synagogue in Savannah, Georgia, will be one of the earliest reform synagogues in the South. It was in July of 1840 that KKBE began to move in a reform direction and the need for a separate more traditional congregation would eventually manifest itself. In July of 1840, Beth Elohim began discussions in regards to purchasing an organ. The Rabbi at the time, Rabbi Poznanski, was in favor of having an organ. Traditionalist rabbis and the traditional congregants felt that after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, no music should be played in the synagogue as it was too joyful and therefore should be frowned upon. Many in the KKBE community agreed with Poznanski and this would lead to the donation of an organ and other reforms. As the Charleston Jews became more affluent and Americanized many at KKBE wanted to move away from Hebrew in the service. This similar event happened in Hamburg with the reform movement there as Jews assimilated into society. As Poznanski moved more and more to the reform service, implementing many aspects of the Protestant service, Jewish traditionalists could no longer deal with the changes, and they needed to leave KKBE. In November of 1846, the traditionalists petitioned to incorporate Shearith Israel and dedicated their temple the following year.
In 1854, the Ashkenazic immigrants that had made their way to Charleston wanted to pray according to their own traditions and not those of the Sephardim. So in 1854, a third synagogue was created in Charleston, Berith Shalom (later to be called Brith Shalom-Beth Israel). So we see that prior to the Civil War, there were three synagogues servicing the Charleston area. (just as as a footnote: the majority of Jews in Charleston were Southerners first, and loyal Confederates during the war. They also were slave owners, some were plantation owners like their Christian counterparts).
In 1947, some members of Brith Shalom decided that Orthodoxy was too restrictive and decided to embrace Conservative Judaism. The Conservative Emanu-El synagogue was born (today located in West Ashley). Apparently this was a very contentious period and after the secession of the Emanu-El congregants, the two Orthodox synagogues realized that they needed to unify and merge as only one Orthodox synagogue was necessary. By 1956 the two temples became known as Brith Shalom Beth Israel (BSBI) and it still exists today in downtown Charleston on Rutledge Avenue.
Today there is a fourth option for Jews residing on the Mount Pleasant side of the Charleston. The Chabad of Charleston and the Low Country had been in Mount Pleasant for several years and just recently built The Center for Jewish Life on Mathis Ferry Road.
In 1854, the Ashkenazic immigrants that had made their way to Charleston wanted to pray according to their own traditions and not those of the Sephardim. So in 1854, a third synagogue was created in Charleston, Berith Shalom (later to be called Brith Shalom-Beth Israel). So we see that prior to the Civil War, there were three synagogues servicing the Charleston area. (just as as a footnote: the majority of Jews in Charleston were Southerners first, and loyal Confederates during the war. They also were slave owners, some were plantation owners like their Christian counterparts).
In 1947, some members of Brith Shalom decided that Orthodoxy was too restrictive and decided to embrace Conservative Judaism. The Conservative Emanu-El synagogue was born (today located in West Ashley). Apparently this was a very contentious period and after the secession of the Emanu-El congregants, the two Orthodox synagogues realized that they needed to unify and merge as only one Orthodox synagogue was necessary. By 1956 the two temples became known as Brith Shalom Beth Israel (BSBI) and it still exists today in downtown Charleston on Rutledge Avenue.
Today there is a fourth option for Jews residing on the Mount Pleasant side of the Charleston. The Chabad of Charleston and the Low Country had been in Mount Pleasant for several years and just recently built The Center for Jewish Life on Mathis Ferry Road.