Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue

Members of the Jewish society began to migrate to the Charleston area as early as 1695; by 1749 the Jewish population was established and they began to organize their congregation. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim was soon constructed, and in 1841 it became the first Reform Jewish congregation in the America. Today it is the oldest standing Reform Synagogue in the world. The building was demolished by the Great Charleston Fire in 1838. Two years later it was replaced by the structure that stands on Hassell Street today. The synagogue eventually added an organ, making it the first Jewish place of worship to combine music with prayer in America. In 1873 Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim became one of the founding synagogues of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. The Coming Street Cemetery, the oldest Jewish burial site in the south, supports the history of Jewish presence and influence in the greater Charleston area.