Extensive plans are being formulated for a series of celebrations this fall to mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish community of Charleston, it was reported today by Dr. Allan Tarshish, rabbi of Temple Beth Elohim here.
Although there were Jews living in Charleston as early as 1695, the establishment of the community here dates to the inauguration of Congregation Beth Elohim, which was formally organized in 1750. Prior to that year, Jews in Charleston worshipped in private homes.
Congregation Beth Elohim counted among its members Moses Lindo who, before the Revolutionary War, developed the fabulous Carolina indigo trade, and Joseph Levy, who fought as a lieutenant against the Indians in the Cherokee War of 1760. Another of the synagogue’s first members was Francis Salvador, probably the first Jewish officer in America to cast his lot with the Revolutionary cause, who was elected a deputy to the Provincial Congress of South Carolina. Salvador lost his life during the Revolutionary War.
Charleston’s Jewish population today numbers 2,000. There are four synagogues in the city, two of them are Crthodox, one Reform and one Conservative.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
