Records of the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (Charleston, S.C.)
Item
Country
US
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
Contact information: phone number
001 212 294 8301
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
RCMiller@cjh.org (archive and library services)
Inquiries@cjh.org (research inquiries)
Inquiries@cjh.org (research inquiries)
Reference number
I-107
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Records of the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (Charleston, S.C.)
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (Charleston, S.C.)
Date(s)
1790/1950
Language(s)
eng
Extent
1 box
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
This collection contains the Congregation Beth Elohim of Charleston, South Carolina records. It includes a letter (c. 1790), signed by Philip Hart and Jacob Cohen, officers of the Beth Elohim, congratulating George Washington on assuming the office of President of the United States. The letter was probably sent to Congregation Shearith Israel in New York in an effort to submit a joint communication on behalf of the six Jewish congregations in the United States at the time. However, a different letter was eventually presented to Washington. The letter, with minor emendations, was published by Leon Hühner (1904). A photostatic copy of a financial ledger maintained by Israel De Lieban, Gabay of the Congregation, dated 1800, is also part of this collection. The Congregation's archives keep the original one. The collection also contains printed material dealing primarily with the Congregation's 200th anniversary in 1950.
Archival history
The 1790 letter is a gift from the Misses Mordecai of Philadelphia. H.A. Alexander of Atlanta, Georgia, donated the photostatic copy of De Lieben's financial ledger.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Jewish presence in Charleston, South Carolina, dates back to the late 17th century, but only in 1749 the community was numerous enough to organise a congregation, the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. Its first hazzan was Isaac da Costa, and most of its early leading members were Sephardim. Fifteen years after the congregation's establishment, the Coming Street Cemetery was established, the oldest surviving Jewish burial ground in the American South.
At first, prayers were recited in private quarters and, from 1775, in an improvised synagogue. The construction of the Charleston synagogue began in 1792 and was dedicated two years later. However, the great Charleston fire of 1838 destroyed the building. In 1841, it was replaced by the synagogue in use today. The Kahal Kados Beth Elohim is the second oldest synagogue building in the United States and the oldest in continuous use. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980.
Charleston is also acknowledged as the birthplace of Reform Judaism in the United States. Forty-seven congregants petitioned the synagogue's Adjunta (the trustees) to change the Sephardic Orthodox liturgy in 1824. The petition was denied and led to the said members' resignation, who formed The Reformed Society of Israelites, led by Isaac Harby, Abraham Moise II, and David Nunes Carvalho. Nine years later, The Reformed Society rejoined the old congregation. The first service in the new synagogue built after the great fire introduced a liberalised ritual. The Beth Elohim became one of the earliest synagogues of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873 (now Union for Reform Judaism, URJ), and it remains committed to Reform Judaism.
At first, prayers were recited in private quarters and, from 1775, in an improvised synagogue. The construction of the Charleston synagogue began in 1792 and was dedicated two years later. However, the great Charleston fire of 1838 destroyed the building. In 1841, it was replaced by the synagogue in use today. The Kahal Kados Beth Elohim is the second oldest synagogue building in the United States and the oldest in continuous use. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980.
Charleston is also acknowledged as the birthplace of Reform Judaism in the United States. Forty-seven congregants petitioned the synagogue's Adjunta (the trustees) to change the Sephardic Orthodox liturgy in 1824. The petition was denied and led to the said members' resignation, who formed The Reformed Society of Israelites, led by Isaac Harby, Abraham Moise II, and David Nunes Carvalho. Nine years later, The Reformed Society rejoined the old congregation. The first service in the new synagogue built after the great fire introduced a liberalised ritual. The Beth Elohim became one of the earliest synagogues of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873 (now Union for Reform Judaism, URJ), and it remains committed to Reform Judaism.
Access points: locations
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
Access, restrictions
The collection is open to all researchers except items that may be restricted due to their fragility or privacy.
Links to finding aids
Existence and location of originals
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2022
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| American Jewish Historical Society (Center for Jewish History) | Collections (official language of the state) |