Learn about KKBE’s lasting contributions to the Holy City
(Clockwise from left) This painting by Solomon Nunes Carvalho shows the interior of the original KKBE synagogue built in 1794; The current structure, shown in this 1938 photograph, was constructed in 1840; the ark and pulpit. Find a list a anniversary events, including tours, at kkbe275.com.
One of Charleston’s best-kept secrets—until recently—has been its astonishingly rich Jewish history.
When founded, Carolina offered Jews the most welcoming spot on the American continent. Jews were present here by the 1690s, and by the early 1800s, the city boasted the largest Jewish population in the United States. Much of that is due to Congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (Holy Congregation House of God), which was founded in September 1749.
After renting a number of places throughout the city, the congregation built its first synagogue on Hasell Street in 1794 with a proud steeple proclaiming its presence. Members helped found the Hebrew Benevolent Society in 1784, the oldest Jewish charitable organization in America, and the Hebrew Orphan Society in 1801. Its cemetery, one of the oldest and largest in the South, recorded its first burial in 1762.
Currently celebrating its 275th anniversary with events scheduled over 15 months, KKBE is the largest Jewish congregation in the state. This year also marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Reform Judaism in America at KKBE, when many of its congregants petitioned for changes to keep pace with New World attitudes and needs.
When its current circa-1840 structure, replacing the one burned in 1838, was consecrated, the officiating rabbi proclaimed, “This synagogue is our temple [and] this city our Jerusalem,” making it one of the most important and earliest-known references to Charleston as the Holy City.
