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| Temple Beth Elohim |
This afternoon, Bruce and I decided to visit the local Jewish Temple and Cemetary nearest our home. Jews arrived in the historic seaport of Georgetown, S.C. in the mid 1700s. They worshipped in each other's homes, and also at the Winyah Indigo Society. Although the sign outside the temple says it was established in 1904, that does not begin to tell the whole story of the importance of this Jewish Congregation in this area of South Carolina.
By 1800, Jews were a small but important portion of the population. Although proportionally only 10% of the white population, Jews have held a disproportionately large role in civic life as evidences by the historical markers below.
As you can see from the SC State historical signs, the Jewish cemetery in Georgetown was established in 1772 and contains the graves of three of Georgetown's Jewish mayors.
The cemetery is roughly a city block in size, which relatively small compared to some we have visited in the Northeast.
But it is well maintained, and both Bruce and felt it to be the most peaceful cemetery we have ever visited.
In part that is because there is a sense of continuity and belonging here that one does not find in the larger more anonymous cemeteries. Whole families, with names like Cohen, Moses, and Solomon are buried side by side here for generations .
The oldest grave we found was 1772 and the newest 2010. The oldest graves were often the saddest because they told of how hard life was for the early colonists, many of whom lost child after child, or died in childbirth trying to give life.
But seeing the graves of so many generations also tells a story of commitment to family and community that is sorely missing in modern society.
For more on the history of the Temple Beth Elohim Congregation check out:
http://www.jhssc.org/Georgetown_Temple_Beth_Elohim_History.html
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