new york university introduction - gil travel · moses lindo played a key role in the development...

Discovering Jewish Civilization Around the Globe

The Jews of the American South: Charleston and Savannah

May 22 – 27, 2016

Revised December 2, 2015

Study Tour Led by

Hasia Diner

Paul and Sylvia Steinberg Professor

of American Jewish History

New York University

Introduction

The history of the Jews in North America and the histories of these two southern cities run along

parallel tracks. Jews were present from nearly the beginning of both of these port cities and in both

places Jews achieved, early on a set of rights and a public profile, unmatched by their fellow Jews in

the rest of the colonies. How did Jews experience the founding years of Savannah and Charleston

and why did they prosper there so easily? What aspects of the economic, social, and cultural

histories of these two colonial era cities shaped the Jews’ encounter with their non-Jewish neighbors

and how did the Jews build and sustain their Jewish institutions, not just during the decades of British

rule but beyond into the national era? Where did they live? What occupations did they pursue and

how did such momentous events as the American Revolution, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the

birth of the “New South,” leave their mark on the Jews in these places? This tour will blend the histories

of two cities now considered tourist destinations known for their charm and historic significance and

that of the Jews, those who came there in the colonial era and those who migrated there later, from

elsewhere in the Atlantic world and from Europe.

Brief histories of the Jews of Savannah and Charleston will serve here as previews of the rich

experience that awaits the visitor in search of the Jewish past. The first Jews arrived in Charleston in

1670, not long after the town was founded.

As early as the 1690s the governor of the colony mentioned in a report that a Spanish-speaking Jew

served as his interpreter in his negotiations with Native Americans who had come north from Florida

and over the next few decades Jews lived in and around this thriving port city as shopkeepers,

merchants and traders. Moses Lindo played a key role in the development of the staple crop, indigo,

which became the bedrock of the colony’s economy and the basis for the plantations worked on by

slave labor. Lindo, in thanks for his service in commercializing the crop, so necessary in Britain’s textile

industry, earned the title Surveyor and Inspector-General of Indigo.NUntil 1749 Charleston Jews, all of

whom enjoyed full rights as white men, worshipped in each other’s homes and stores but that year,

under the leadership of Joseph Tobias, Michael Lazarus, Moses Cohen, and Isaac Da Costa who

would serve as the hazzan, or cantor, they formed themselves into a congregation, incorporated

under the name Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, the holy congregation the house of God, which adhered

to the Sephardic rite. In 1764, they likewise consecrated a plot of land as a cemetery on Coming

Street.



May 22 – 27, 2016

Amid the ferment of the American Revolution, Charleston Jews in the main sided with the patriot

cause and twenty served in the army for the cause of national independence. Francis Salvador

served as a delegate to the several of the Provincial Congresses, held in South Carolina, which called

for independence from Britain, making him one of the first Jews to hold elective office in the

Americas. His devotion to the cause of American independence put him in harm’s way and on

August 1, 1776, just a month after the momentous declaration of America’s independence, a band

of Tory-sympathizing Native Americans killed and scalped him, thus making him the first Jew to die for

the nation.

In the first decades after independence KK Beth Elohim moved from rented space to its own building,

the second oldest synagogue structure in the United States. Built and dedicated in 1794, the grand

building succumbed to a fire in 1838, replaced by the still standing Greek Revival edifice.

The old building had witnessed an historic event in the annals of modern Judaism. In 1824, a handful

of members of KK Beth Elohim, nearly all of them like dramatist Isaac Harby, well-placed, civically

prominent Jews, resigned from the synagogue and formed themselves into the Reformed Society of

Israelites and while it lasted for only a few years, it stands as the first effort at reform on American soil.

KK Beth Elohim also occupies an important place in the history of Judaism.

A woman associated with the congregation, Penina Moise, penned a series of hymns which over

time became standard in the Reform liturgy, making her perhaps the first female whose words

entered the Jewish prayer book.

In the first decades of the nineteenth century more Jews lived in Charleston than any other

community in the United States. Numbering over 500 at its peak, the Jews of Charleston were

merchants, participated actively in the life of the city itself, and achieved a reputation for their

wealth and social standing.

Many owned slaves. Indeed a larger percentage of Jews owned slaves than other white people. In

those decades a number of Jews came to Charleston from various places in the Caribbean, such as

Jamaica, Barbados and other places which saw the abolition of slavery several decades before the

institution ended in the United States.

With the decline of Charleston’s economy in the decades immediately before the Civil War and

following it, the Jewish population began to seek opportunities elsewhere. After the Civil War,

however, a new Jewish community, unrelated to the Sephardi founders began to coalesce. Jews

from the Polish provinces and Lithuania began to head to the South and took up peddlers’ packs as

they sold domestic goods to farm families and later textile mill workers in the communities surrounding

Charleston.



May 22 – 27, 2016

On weekends they made their way to Charleston for the Sabbath, to replenish their goods, pay off

their creditors and then go back out on the road. One by one as the peddlers saved their money,

they opened up shops either in Charleston or in the nearby small towns. These women and men

reinvigorated Jewish life, creating new synagogues, schools, and charitable enterprises, pushing up

the number of Jews and making it a city that now resembled so many other Jewish communities

around the country. The new Jewish institutions they created served their needs and many of these

survived into the twentieth century.

A third era in Charleston’s history and that of its Jews took place during and after World War II with a

renewed development of the port, investment in new industries, and the opening up of military bases,

all reviving the local economy and bring a new cohort of Jews to the city. As a way of circling back

to the first era in the city’s Jewish history, when Jewish leaders created in 1949 the Charleston Jewish

Welfare Fund, they absorbed into it the Hebrew Benevolent Society founded in 1784 and the Hebrew

Orphan Society of 1801.

Savannah had a different history as a colony and as a magnet for Jewish migration. Founded in 1733

as a debtor’s colony by George Oglethorpe, the original charter banned slavery. The same year that

Oglethorpe arrived and began this experiment in social planning, saw the docking of two ships

carrying 90 Jews, sent there by the Bevis Marks Congregation in London, eager to see the

transportation of poor and dependent Jews to the new colony in North America. Most of these Jews

who lived off the charity of the London congregations had come to the British Isles from German

speaking states and many were of Polish origin. Oglethorpe gave his personal permission to the Jews

to be able to settle and enjoyed the financial support of the London Jews who had been so eager to

get rid of them.

While the poor predominated among them, a physician, named Nunez won the admiration and

praise of Oglethorpe and the other colonists for his successful intervention during a particularly

dangerous epidemic. Despite Oglethorpe’s initial efforts and the backing of the king, the colony

barely survived and most of the Jews migrated further north in the 1740s, going to, among other

places, Charleston. But within ten years the colony’s fortunes reversed and the Jews and others

started coming back.

The 1750s records indicate Jewish membership in a local Masonic lodge and in a community wide

welfare association. Enough Jews had returned to make possible the establishment of a

congregation, Mickve Israel in 1790, led by Philip Minis.

Georgia Jews had all the rights in the colonial period that accrued to white men, with the exception

that they could not hold elective office unless they would take a Christian oath. The Georgia

Constitution of 1789 however got rid of that barrier and from then on individual Jews served in a

variety of capacities in the government and the state militia.



May 22 – 27, 2016

In the decades after the 1820s, as emigration from Central Europe took shape, German speaking

Jews made their way to Savannah and other smaller communities in Georgia. As in so many other

American communities, they made a living in trade and the most successful among them integrated

into the local society while they also maintained their membership in Mickve Israel and subscribed to

a growing number of charitable and educational enterprises. The number of Jews in Savannah and

elsewhere in Georgia dipped during and right after the Civil War, but by 1877 and the end of

Reconstruction a reverse trend began. Young Jewish men from Lithuanian and elsewhere in Eastern

Europe came to peddle in the small towns and cotton plantations around Savannah and used the

city as their base.

One by one as they succeeded in their peddling operations, they settled down in the big city,

opened clothing, liquor, and grocery stores. Many invested in local real estate and created a small

but thriving Jewish community. Notably after the Civil War Atlanta eclipsed Savannah as the largest

and most important city in the state and the Jewish community of the latter grew little compared to

the growth of the former.

About Our Study Tours

JEWISH EXPLORATIONS study tours are exclusive small group learning experiences. In order to create

an exceptional program, we engage only top Judaic Studies scholars and expert guides in order to

craft and conduct programs that are content-rich and allow ample time for exploration on your own

in some of the world’s most beautiful locales. This study tour is limited to 25 participants.



May 22 – 27, 2016

Temple Mickve Israel, Savannah

In addition to our focus on the Jewish past and present in Savannah and Charleston, we will also

concentrate on beautiful architecture and magnificent formal gardens that abound in both cities.

We have purposefully scheduled in free time so you can enjoy the charms of both these historic cities

on your own.



May 22 – 27, 2016

Itinerary

The Marshall House

Sunday, May 22nd – Day One – Savannah

Morning: You will be met at the airport for your transfer to the hotel.

Arrive at Marshall House Hotel This historic hotel is the recently renovated

and located on East Boughton Street is steeped in the tradition of Southern

hospitality and elegance.

Afternoon: After lunch on your own, meet at 1:30 for Introductory Remarks by Hasia Diner,

your scholar. Afterwards, we will take a Walking Tour of Historic Savannah with

Harriet Meyerhoff, a local guide who is an expert on the city’s Jewish past and

present. This insightful and personalized tour will focus on the city’s history and its

Jewish heritage. We will learning about Savannah's extended Jewish heritage

from the first Jewish Colonists to the present, and tour the many significant points

of interest from the Revolutionary War era to the present. After the walking tour,

you will have time to settle in and relax at the hotel.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10896102@N04/5207645177/



May 22 – 27, 2016

Evening: We continue our journey into Savannah’s history with a Welcome Dinner at Vic’s

along the picturesque Savannah River. In 1858, John Stoddard had this building

commissioned to be designed and built by the famous New York architect, John

Norris. He was one of three major architects in Savannah at the time, along with

William Jay and Charles B. Clusky. Some of John Norris’ Savannah works include

the Andrew Low House, the Cotton Exchange, the Mercer House, and the

Meldrim-Green House. Completed in 1859, this building was originally used as a

warehouse and later housed Steven Shipping Company. The lower floors were

known as John Stoddard’s Lower Range and the top floors as John Stoddard’s

Upper Range. During the War Between the States, General Sherman’s lesser

officers used this building’s empty offices for housing and planning space.

Meals: Dinner

Overnight: Marshall House, Savannah

Monday, May 23rd – Day Two – Savannah

Morning: After breakfast, Hasia Diner will conduct our first of four study session on JEWS IN THE

NEW WORLD IN THE AGE OF COLONIZATION. We will then depart for a full-morning Tour

of Jewish Savannah.

We will visit Congregation Mickve Israel, an active synagogue affiliated with the Union

for Reform Judaism, located in the Historic District of Savannah, The congregation was

founded in 1733; just a few months after General James Oglethorpe founded the

Colony of Georgia. This historic sanctuary was designed by New York architect Henry G.

Harrison and built in 1876 in pure neo-Gothic style, reflecting the fashionable

architecture of the Victorian era. It is the only neo-Gothic synagogue in America. Their

three-story Sheftall Memorial Hall addition, opened in 2003, houses their world-class

museum and impressive library. Our tour includes a stop at The Mercer House featured

in the novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, was designed by New York

architect John S. Norris for General Hugh W. Mercer, great grandfather of Johnny

Mercer. Construction of the house began in 1860, was interrupted by the Civil War and

was later completed, circa 1868, by the new owner, John Wilder.

In 1969, Jim Williams, one of Savannah’s earliest and most dedicated private

restorationists, bought the then vacant house and began a two-year restoration. This

house is one of the more than 50 houses Mr. Williams saved during his thirty-year career

in historic restoration in Savannah and the Low country.



May 22 – 27, 2016

Throughout the house you will see furniture and art from Mr. Williams’s private collection

including 18th and 19th century furniture, 18th century English and American portraits,

drawings from the 17th century and a wide collection of Chinese export porcelain.

Afternoon The rest of the day is at leisure to explore Savannah on your own and sample

& Evening: some of its culinary delights.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Marshall House, Savannah

Charleston

Tuesday, May 24th – Day Three – Savannah and Charleston

Morning: After an early breakfast and Professor Diner’s second learning session on

SAVANNAH AND ITS EARLIEST JEWS: ORIGINS AND COMMUNITY BUILDING, we will

depart for the continuation of our Tour of Jewish Savannah.

Though not Savannah’s oldest cemetery, Bonaventure is certainly its most famous and

hauntingly beautiful. Quintessentially Southern Gothic, it has captured the imaginations

of writers, poets, naturalists, photographers and filmmakers for more than 150 years. Part

natural cathedral, part sculptural garden, Bonaventure transcends time. Within

Bonaventure Cemetery lies a Jewish section, established by congregants of Temple

Mickve Israel, with many evocative inscriptions on the tombs of the many Holocaust

survivors buried here.



May 22 – 27, 2016

Military generals, poet Conrad Aiken, Academy Award-winning lyricist Johnny Mercer

and Georgia's first governor Edward Telfair are among those buried at Bonaventure.

Another reason behind Bonaventure’s popularity is John Berendt’s book, Midnight in the

Garden of Good and Evil, which featured a cover photo of the now-famous "Bird Girl"

statue, formerly located in Bonaventure.

The next stop on our tour will be Congregation B’nai Brith Jacob, locally known as “BBJ.”

It boasts the largest membership of the three Savannah synagogues with about 400

active families. Many Jewish families pay tithe to more than one local congregation in

an effort to support the entire community. But BBJ is more than just another synagogue.

It is the spiritual and culture center of a deeply devout and close-knit community. A little

more than half of the active members live in the neighborhoods surrounding the

synagogue and walk to services on Shabbat.

Afternoon: After a break for lunch on your own, we will depart for our bus trip to Charleston.

Upon arriving to Charleston, we will check into hotel. Located in the charming Historic

District of Charleston, The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel is in the heart of it all. The

iconic hotel is close to the historic King Street shopping area and within walking

distance to Charleston's City Market, where you will find arts, crafts, and fine dining

Evening: The rest of the day is at leisure to explore your new surroundings.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel, Charleston

Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Charleston



May 22 – 27, 2016

Wednesday, May 25th – Day Four – Charleston

Morning: After breakfasting at the hotel and Dr. Diner’s third learning session, CHARLESTON: A

JEWEL IN THE CROWN OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY JEWRY, we will be greeted at the hotel

by Rhetta Mendelsohn, an expert guide on Jewish life in Charleston and begin our full-

day Tour of Jewish Charleston.

The final destination of our walking tour will be Beth Elohim (or KKBE). It is the

fourth oldest Jewish congregation as well as the second oldest synagogue

building in the United States. The synagogue building itself is the oldest in continuous

use. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980. Once we arrive at KKBE,

Rhetta will introduce the group to Charleston and the local Jewish community. Here we

will discuss the early history of Charleston and incorporate the Jewish history. In the

beautiful Greek Revival style sanctuary, we will discuss the architecture as well as the

congregation.

We will continue our city tour by mini coach to include the College of Charleston, the

stately homes along Rutledge Avenue and around Colonial Lake. We will see out entire

residential waterfront before getting out at the Battery to discuss the harbor and the

important events that have occurred there. We will continue by mini coach past

Rainbow Row and the Exchange Building to the Four Corners of Law, where we will

again disembark to view the sites of Jewish interest around this important intersection as

well as the City’s iconic public buildings.

The City tour will be comprehensive – history, art, architecture, war, flowers, religion,

politics and more. We will see houses and gardens, public buildings and churches,

shops and galleries, waterways and alleyways. All along the way, will include points of

Jewish interest.

Afternoon: After a private luncheon at Magnolia’s Restaurant, the tour will continue with a visit to

the Coming Street Cemetery, the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery in the South, the

resting place of the largest and wealthiest Jewish community in colonial America. We

will conclude the day with a drive through the Citadel,

the Military College of South Carolina.

Evening: At leisure to enjoy one of the city’s great eateries and its nightlife.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch




May 22 – 27, 2016

Thursday, May 26th – Day Five – Charleston

Morning: After breakfast the final learning session with Dr. Diner, SOUTH CAROLINA JEWS: THE CIVIL

WAR, RECONSTRUCTION AND THE “NEW SOUTH”, our touring will begin with a short

escorted walk to the College of Charleston to meet with Dale Rosengarten, curator of

the Jewish Heritage Collection. Dale’s lecture/discussion will focus on her research that

resulted in an exhibition called a Portion of the People. She will also share with the

group some of the amazing items in the College’s collection.

After the lecture with Dale, you will be on your own for free time and lunch.

Evening: Our study tour will conclude with a Farewell Dinner at the Charleston Grill, one of

the city’s finest eateries.

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner


Friday, May 27th – Day Six – Return

Morning: After breakfast at the hotel, we will transfer to Charleston International Airport for your

flights home.

Meals: Breakfast

This Itinerary is subject to change.



May 22 – 27, 2016

The Scholar

For Questions and to Register

For Travel Questions and Registration:

Samantha Sultzer of Gil Travel Group in

Philadelphia

215-568-6655 X 380

[email protected]

For Other Questions:

Moshe Margolin, Director

Jewish Explorations

866-898-0037

[email protected]

The Registration Deadline is February 12, 2016

Hasia Diner, Ph.D., is the Paul and Sylvia Steinberg

Professor of American Jewish History at New York

University where she directs the Goldstein Goren Center

for American Jewish History. She taught at the University

of Maryland at College Park and was a fellow at the

Davis Center for Historical Research at Princeton

University and the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College.

Hasia holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin, the

University of Chicago and the University of Illinois-

Chicago. Hasia was a Fulbright scholar in Israel and

elected to the American Academy of Jewish Research

and the Society of American Historians.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



May 22 – 27, 2016

Special Features

Professor Hasia Diner will lead this study tour and present four learning sessions.

Harriet Meyerhoff of Savannah and Rhetta Mendelsohn of Charleston, both experts on the

Jewish communities in their respective cities, will be our local licensed tour guides.

Dale Rosengarten, curator of the Jewish Heritage Collection at the College of Charleston, will

take us on a tour of the collection and talk about her research.

Educational Materials

Professor Diner will prepare a complete Pre-Departure Bibliography.

Professor Diner will prepare a Resource Book designed to enhance your learning experience

throughout the study tour.

Price (per person)

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT* REGULAR PRICE SINGLE ROOM

BY DECEMBER 31, 2015 FROM JANUARY 1, 2016 SUPPLEMENT

LAND ONLY LAND ONLY $1,195

$2,695 $2,795

*PAYMENT BY CHECK

REQUIRED

THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 12, 2016

$500 deposit required upon registration.

The experts at the Gil Travel Group stand ready to help with your flights from your local airport.



May 22 – 27, 2016

The above prices include:

Hotels

Meals

Also Includes:

Sightseeing: As per itinerary with professionally guide.

Entrance fees to sites visited in itinerary.

DATE NIGHTS HOTEL CITY

MAY 22 to 23 2 THE MARSHALL HOUSE SAVANNAH

MAY 24 TO 26 3 MILLS HOUSE HOTEL CHARLESTON

DATE MEAL

MAY 22 WELCOME DINNER

MAY 25 LUNCH

MAY 26 FAREWELL DINNER

BREAKFAST DAILY AT THE HOTEL



May 22 – 27, 2016

The above prices DO NOT include:

Travel Insurance This is highly recommended and suggested to be purchased with the deposit):

Basic – does not cover pre-existing conditions which have been treated within the last 60 days of

making deposit and the medical is only up to $15,000.

Select – if the participants takes the insurance within the 21 days of any initial deposit, pre-

existing conditions are waived and the medical is up to $50,000

Meals and Drinks Not shown in the Itinerary.

Tips

Tips to the guide and driver are not included. Tip suggestions to be advised.

Personal Expenses

All those expenses individual to each passenger including souvenirs, laundry services, valet service,

phone calls.



May 22 – 27, 2016

Schedule of Payments

$500 deposit per person due with application. Balance due by March 8, 2016.

Cancellation Policy

1. Up to February 22, 2016 - $50.00 per person will be assessed

2. February 23-March 15, 2016 - $500.00 per person will be assessed

3. March 16-April 15, 2016 – $2,100.00 per person will be assessed

4. April 16, 2016 to departure –no refund.

5. There will be no refunds for unused services.

© 2015 Gil Travel Group and Adult Jewish Learning Programs | All Rights Reserved

Reproduction without permission is prohibited by law.

new york university introduction - gil travel · moses lindo played a key role in the development...

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