Bagels & Grits allows a glimpse into the traditions and experience of Jewish life in the South. We present an exhibition in two parts. The first showcases Bill Aron’s photojournalistic exploration of Jewish communities Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. The second component takes a closer look at South Carolina, particularly the Upstate. The Upstate has its own unique history, dating back to 1794. Together these weave the story of specific to the Southern Jewish experience. PART 1)
Bagels & Grits Exploring Jewish Life in the Deep South
Explore Bill Aron’s photojournalistic essay filled with a diverse mixture of local and regional archives to showcase Jewish life in the Deep South. These professional photographs and the stories behind them exploring
(cont.) communities, sacred spaces, workplaces and the changing face of Southern Jewish culture. “I'm very interested in the plurality of Judaism. There's more than one way to be Jewish." –Bill Aron Bill Aron began his photography career with the book From the Corners of the Earth, a collection of photographs chronicling Jewish communities from around the world. Shalom Y’all: Images of Jewish Life in the American South was published in 2002, from which many of this exhibit’s photographs have been reproduced. His photographs have been exhibited in major museums and galleries throughout the United States, Europe and Israel. PART 2)
A Brief Introduction to South Carolina Jewish Life
The historic significance of Charleston in American and world-wide Judaism is well documented. Residents may be surprised to learn that the Jewish, presence in the state dates back to 1697. South Carolina Jews fought in the Revolutionary, Civil and World Wars and served as major civic and business leaders. While Charleston Jews primarily were Sephardic- fleeing from Spain and Portugal, the Upstate population traveled mainly from Poland, Russia and Eastern Europe. Many of the Upstate artifacts in the exhibit have never been on public display. This collection allows residents a unique look inside the story of Jewish life in South Carolina.
Section 1) Sacred Spaces
A space is made sacred by the people who come there. It is a place of connection, of celebration, of marking life cycles, and above all, a place to feel at home.
Section 2) Community
Because of their small numbers, Jews are connected by family and social networks that extend throughout the region, a phenomenon understood by most as "Jewish Geography.”
Section 3) Workplace
Jews have had a long and proud tradition as southern merchants, but they have also become farmers, artists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, educators, scrap metal dealers, journalists and much more.
Section 4) Changing Faces
Talk to Southern Jews today and you hear about change. The story of southern Jewish experience is not ending; it's just another chapter.
Section 5) Virtual Station
Visit our Virtual Station and experience Yiddish vocabulary, Jewish history, further reading and oral histories including those of Max and Trudy Heller.
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Find your own
Visit the South Carolina Room. Our trained researchers can help you to find ancestry and local history while also offering guidance in handling your own heirloom documents. Call 527-9261 or stop by the Hughes Main Library to learn more. 1862 General Grant issues General Order No.11 orders all Jews expelled from parts of KY,TN and
1861 Isaac Hirsch and Abraham Issacs join the esteemed Butler Guard for the Civil War.
1853 Charleston native, Solomon Carvalho is hired as photographer on winter expedition through the Rockies. His diary and images become the only recorded account of the trek.
1833 First book published by Jewish woman in the nation was Penina Moise's Fancy's Sketch Book.
1825 Mordecai Cohen becomes one of the wealthiest men in SC.
1824 Issac Harby and collegues petition for Reform Judaism. Harby writes the Reform Prayerbook.
1820 SC is home to the largest Jewish population in the nation.
1802 First Jewish adoption agency and orphanage in the nation is incorporated in Charleston.
1800-1850 Hebrew schools begin to be established throughout South Carolina.
1749 First Jewish resident in Greenville County
1755 Salvadors become one of the largest land owners in the state with 100,000 acres in the SC piedmont, which becomes known as Jews land.
1775 First professing Jew to hold public office in SC and nationally.
1749 Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim founded in Charleston.
1697 First Jewish settler in South Carolina
1669 John Locke writes SC charter for religious freedom.
A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life
Be sure to check out this comprehensive volume that chronicles the complexities of Jewish life in South Carolina, a state that, in the early 1800’s had the largest Jewish population in the country. The book features excerpts from journals and letters, documents such as mortgages and marriage contracts, and recollections distilled from hundreds of oral histories. Check it out or pick up a copy of your own from the Friends Shop! 1971 Max Heller is elected as Greenville's mayor.
1960 Teszler's establish Butte Knitting Mill in Spartnaburg which becomes the first yarn-todress production in the world.
1948 Anderson's synagogue, Temple B'Nai Israel is completed.
1929 Greenville's Reform synagogue, Temple of Israel, is dedicated in a grand two-day ceremony.
1928 Victor Davis establishes Davis Battery Electric Co. next to the Kaufman's garage.
1921 Kaufman brothers establish Greenville's first junkyard and auto service.
1920s Kingoff brothers build jewlery empire with 28 stores across the South.
1916 Temple B'nai Israel is established in Spartanburg.
1912 Greenville's Orthodox synagogue, Beth Israel, hires Rabbi Zaglin.
1908 Sol Kingoff opens Manhattan Pawn Shop.
1901 First Jewish woman graduates from MUSC.
1887 Rothschild secures contract to provide uniforms for Greenville police.
1869 Hyman Endel arrives in Greenville to open one of the first and most successful clothiers.
1863 KK Beth Elohim votes to become the first Reform Judaic congregation in the nation.
1862 General Grant issues General Order No.11 orders all Jews expelled from parts of KY,TN and MS.
esteemed Butler Guard for the Civil War.
The history of Greenville’s Jewish community is a reflection of the Jewish experience in America as whole. South Carolina Jewish history really begins in 1669, when John Locke wrote the South Carolina charter welcoming Jews to the state with the promise of religious and economic freedom. Sephardic Jews came to Charleston, eventually made their way to other parts of the state, including the Upstate. According to Rabbi Barnett Elzas, the first Upstate Jewish resident, Eleazar Elizar, arrived in 1794 and became postmaster of what was to become Greenville. There is evidence of antebellum Jewish settlement in surrounding areas, including nine Jewish families living in Spartanburg by 1878 and the Lesser family of Anderson, who came pre-Civil War from Prussia by way of New York. By 1860, Greenville’s population was just over 1,800, with at least eight individuals with Jewish names. Two Jewish men, Abraham Isaacs and Isaac W. Hirsch, served in Greenville’s Butler’s Guards during the Civil War. Evidence of prominent Jewish citizens include Abraham Isaacs, whose accomplishments including a net worth of $30,000 in the 1860 and a promotion to lieutenant prior to the end of the war. In the late 19th century, Jews ,escaping from Russia, began to emigrate to the US in large numbers. Some of these Eastern European Jews found their way to Greenville. Soon, families with Americanized surnames such as Kaufman, Bloom, Davis, Lurey, Switzer and Kingoff were moving into the area. The families ran a diverse mixture of business in Greenville, including service for the new automobile, clothing and department stores, jewelers and pawn brokers. More conservative than members of the Reform congregation, these Eastern European immigrants soon felt a need to establish a traditional
synagogue. Charles Zaglin of North Carolina was hired as rabbi for Beth Israel. He went on to establish a successful deli and butcher shop for the Jewish and non-Jewish community. As a traditional congregation, they required a rabbinical influence to help with certifying food as kosher, performing bris and other rituals including religious holidays. In 1912, Also by the late 19th century, Greenville was transforming into a textile industry center in the South. The thriving business community was welcoming to local Jewish merchants. In 1869, Hyman Endel moved to Greenville. A merchant from Richmond, Virginia, Endel was very active in the local business community. He lived in a huge mansion at 329 North Main, which later became the location of the Ivey’s Department Store. Another Jewish Virginian, Manos Meyers, moved to Greenville in the early twentieth century, along with his brother, Alex. They opened the Meyers Arnold Department store in 1911. These merchants were among the founding members of the Temple of Israel, a reform congregation. Their first synagogue, which was on Buist Avenue, was formally dedicated in a two day ceremony beginning on April 2, 1929. A convention was held at the Poinsett Hotel to celebrate the event. For years, Jewish residents were forced to travel out of town and sometimes even out of state to secure a final resting place for their deceased relatives. Many traveled to Columbia, Charleston, Virginia, Maryland and New York to inter their loved ones in a Jewish plot. In the 1930’s the two synagogues worked together to provide a Jewish cemetery for their members. Negotiating with ####, the leaders were able to secure an official Jewish burial ground next to Graceland Cemetery on Whitehorse Road, named the ### cemetery. Another wave of immigration of Jews into the United States came during World War II. Two of Greenville’s most prominent citizens, Max and Trude Heller, escaped Austria after the German invasion. Heller was sponsored to come to Greenville and was put in touch with Sheppard Saltzman, owner of the Piedmont Shirt Factory, who was very happy to employ the young man. Heller went on to build a successful business and eventually became mayor. Visit our virtual station for Max Heller’s oral history.