Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Israelite Sunday School / Columbia's First Synagogue

Israelite Sunday School Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2009

1. Israelite Sunday School Marker

Inscription. Israelite Sunday School The Israelite Sunday School, the first Jewish religious school in Columbia and the seventh in the United States, met in a building on this site until 1865. Founded in 1843 to give the city's Jewish children "an intimate... and full exposition of our faith," it was supported by the Columbia Hebrew Benevolent Society. Its 20-30 students first met nearby in space donated by a member of the society.

Columbia's First Synagogue In 1846 the Columbia Hebrew Benevolent Society built a frame building on this site for the Israelite Sunday School which met on the first floor. The society also organized the first formal congregation in Columbia, which was named Shearith Israel (Remnant of Israel), with its synagogue on the second floor. The building was burned when General William T. Sherman's Federalists captured the city in 1865.

Erected 2008 by The Beth Shalom Synagogue, The Tree of Life Temple and the Jewish Historical Society of S.C. (Marker Number 40-151.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.

Location. 34° 0.239′ N, 81° 2.192′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South

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Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. Marker is on Assembly Street, on the right when traveling north. Located between Washington and Hampton Sts.,across from the Richland County Public Library's Main Branch. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. North Carolina Mutual Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Legacies of The Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina (about 500 feet away); Sarah Mae Flemming (about 500 feet away); 'We Kept the Fire Going' (about 500 feet away); The Big Apple (about 500 feet away); Nathaniel J. Frederick House (about 500 feet away); Washington Street (about 600 feet away); St. Peter's Church and Ursuline Convent (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Columbia's First Synagogue Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, August 16, 2009

2. Columbia's First Synagogue Marker

Israelite Sunday School / Columbia's First Synagogue Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, August 16, 2009

3. Israelite Sunday School / Columbia's First Synagogue Marker

looking north on Assembly St.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, August 16, 2009

4. Israelite Sunday School / Columbia's First Synagogue Marker

the site today is a city parking lot

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,103 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 25, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.