Beth Israel Congregation (Beaufort, South Carolina)
Encyclopedia
Beth Israel Congregation (or Beth Israel Synagogue) is a historic Conservative
synagogue
located at 401 Scotts Street in Beaufort
, South Carolina
. Built in 1908, it is one of the few wooden synagogues in continued usage in the southeastern United States
.
was Peter Lavien, half-brother to Alexander Hamilton
, who had a Jewish father though he was a practicing Anglican.. Though the number of Jews remained sporadic and sparse until the 1880s, Jews always fared well in the small coastal town. With the mass immigration of Eastern European Jews to Beaufort beginning in the 1880s, the Jewish population of the town grew to well over 30 families and soon prompted the need for a formal congregation.While the Jewish community in Beaufort predates the American Revolutionary War
, its residents prayed informally in a number of locations before obtaining space in the town's Masonic Hall and in the Beaufort Arsenal. Granted a state charter in 1905, the congregation was formed to purchase the land near the arsenal that became the site for their synagogue on Scott Street. A number of members participated in the construction of the building, which was dedicated in ceremonies held on June 14, 1908, which were led by Rabbi George Solomon of Savannah, Georgia
. Initially an Orthodox
congregation, Beth Israel became a Conservative
congregation in 1949.
The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005. Cantor Sheldon Feinberg noted that "to keep any entity for this length of time, particularly a house of worship, demands a great deal of dedication on the part of the members." President Joann Schor stated that beyond celebrating the synagogue's centennial, their task was "figuring out how to keep going for another 100 years."
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
located at 401 Scotts Street in Beaufort
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Built in 1908, it is one of the few wooden synagogues in continued usage in the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The first Jewish settler recorded as having lived in Beaufort, South CarolinaBeaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
was Peter Lavien, half-brother to Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, who had a Jewish father though he was a practicing Anglican.. Though the number of Jews remained sporadic and sparse until the 1880s, Jews always fared well in the small coastal town. With the mass immigration of Eastern European Jews to Beaufort beginning in the 1880s, the Jewish population of the town grew to well over 30 families and soon prompted the need for a formal congregation.While the Jewish community in Beaufort predates the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, its residents prayed informally in a number of locations before obtaining space in the town's Masonic Hall and in the Beaufort Arsenal. Granted a state charter in 1905, the congregation was formed to purchase the land near the arsenal that became the site for their synagogue on Scott Street. A number of members participated in the construction of the building, which was dedicated in ceremonies held on June 14, 1908, which were led by Rabbi George Solomon of Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. Initially an Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
congregation, Beth Israel became a Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
congregation in 1949.
The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005. Cantor Sheldon Feinberg noted that "to keep any entity for this length of time, particularly a house of worship, demands a great deal of dedication on the part of the members." President Joann Schor stated that beyond celebrating the synagogue's centennial, their task was "figuring out how to keep going for another 100 years."