Ackerman Family Photographs:

George Ackerman was born (1914) in Winnipeg, Canada, the son of Lithuanian immigrants. He was educated at a yeshiva in Chicago, IL, where he pursued rabbinical studies. Ackerman worked as a cantor, Hebrew teacher and merchant in various southern cities and although never formally ordained, he regularly officiated at Temple Israel in Salisbury, NC. Ackerman married Sarah Burgen in the late 1930s. The couple raised their family in several southern cities including Memphis, TN, Walhalla, SC, and Fort Mill, SC.
Collection contains five photographs: George Ackerman with Rabbi Harold Friedman and I.D. Blumenthal, ca. 1954; formal photograph (ca. 1950s) of George Ackerman and three confirmation candidates, possibly at Temple Israel, Salisbury, NC; image (ca. 1952) of Temple Israel's new building (?); man and woman in front of a shoe store (Fort Mill, SC?) ca. 1950s; color photograph (ca. 1970s) of George Ackerman.
Donated by Sarah Burgen Ackerman.
Related to oral history interview with Sarah Burgen Ackerman.

Alch Family Photographs:

http://www.cofc.edu/%7Especcoll/alch.html

Appel Family Papers:

Although both were originally from Kaluszyn, Poland, Abraham Appel (1890-1962) and Ida Goldberg (1901-1985) courted in Charleston, South Carolina, and were married there in 1922. The Appels had four children, Dr. Harry Appel, Sidney Appel, Samuel Appel and Faye "Fannie" Appel Rones. Abraham Appel ran Appel Furniture (520 King St.) in Charleston, SC.
Collection includes Ida and Abraham Appel's South Carolina marriage license (1922); Ida Appel's original Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (1935) and U.S passport (1967); Abraham Appel's social security cards, South Carolina driver's license (1961), and laminated clipping of his obituary (1962). Also includes Harry I. Appel's birth certificate (1924) from Mercy Hospital, Charleston, SC, Notification of Birth Registration (1924) from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, and a typhoid vaccination record (1932).
Also includes Fannie Appel's birth certificate (1926) from the City of Charleston Dept. of Health and vaccination records (1930, 1932) for diphtheria and typhoid. Also contains a photocopy of Samuel Appel's bar mitzvah certificate (1942) from Beth Israel Synagogue, Charleston, SC; black and white photograph (1941) of Sam Appel's military boot camp class, Newport, RI; program (1947) from the 11th Annual Southern Regional Convention of Aleph Zadik Aleph District Five.
Arrangement is chronological within each folder.
Donated by Samuel Appel and Fannie Appel Rones.
Related materials include oral history interviews given by Fannie Appel Rones in 1995 and 1998.

William Baum Papers:

Born in Camden, South Carolina, Williams Baum attended the College of Charleston from 1934-1937. Over the course of his college career, he was a member of the Chrestomathic Literary Society, fencing team, Meteor and Magazine staff, and a member of the Young Democrats and Future Diplomats. Baum died in Costa Rica in 1946, where he was a teacher.
Includes Williams Baum's sophomore year College of Charleston report card (1935); bill for $1.00 for WB's College of Charleston academic fees (1935); College of Charleston graduation program (1937), Williams Baum among graduating class; front cover of program notes, "Centennial Anniversary for the College of Charleston as a Municipal College 1837-1937." Includes four page genealogical chart, "Descendants of the Jacob Baum Family."
Donated by Garry Baum.

Bishopville Hebrew Congregation Certificate of Incorporation:

Original Certificate of Incorporation for The Bishopville Hebrew Congregation, May 7, 1925; signed by W.P. Blackwell, South Carolina Secretary of State; includes list of officers and board of directors of the Bishopville Hebrew Congregation.
Note: Certificate is stored in JHC oversize box.
Donated by Allan Jay Sindler.

Julius H. Bloom Papers:

Julius Bloom (1893-1973) was born in Bialystok, Poland. His family immigrated (ca. 1905) to America and settled first in Columbia, South Carolina, and finally in Greenville, S.C. Bloom entered the military in 1917 and served as an infantry soldier in Company A, 1st Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division during World War I. Company A, 118th Infantry Regiment was also known as the "Butler Guards," a unit which saw service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
In 1918 Bloom's division engaged in heavy combat in Northern France and Belgium. Bloom participated in all missions until he was wounded in October 1918; he later received a Purple Heart Medal. After being discharged (1919) from the Army, Bloom returned to Greenville, married (1919) Jennie Shatenstein, and had three children, Shirley, Melvin and Jack.
Collection of material related to Julius H. Bloom's World War I military service. Includes photograph (print) of Bloom in uniform, ca. 1918 and panoramic image (print) of Company A, 1st Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division (a.k.a. Butler Guards) at Camp Sevier, South Carolina, 1918; color photograph (original) of seventeen Butler Guard veterans (including Bloom) and clipping (Sept. 4, 1971) from Greenville Piedmont re. reunion of Butler Guards.
Also Bloom's certificate of Honorable Discharge from the Army of the United States (1919) and certificate issued by U.S. Government under signature of Pres. Woodrow Wilson citing Bloom served in World War I with honor and was wounded in action. Collection contains Bloom's Purple Heart Medal for Military Merit (in original box from Bailey, Banks and Biddle No. 60301) and medal for military combat in "The Great War for Civilization," with multi-color ribbon and "Somme Offensive/Ypres-Lys" clasps representing Bloom's combat actions.
Includes photocopy of page from "Official Roster of South Carolina Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the World War, 1918-1918, Vol. I," with Bloom's information. Collection also contains biographical information on Bloom and provenance details for items listed above provided by son, Jack Bloom.
Donated by Jack L. Bloom.
Related to oral history interview (Mss 1035-126) Jack L. Bloom gave to the Jewish Heritage Project in 1997.
Note: Both military photographs and Bloom's service certificate are stored with JHC Oversize Material.
Bloom's Purple Heart Medal is currently in exhibition, "A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life." It will be back at College of Charleston, January 2004. (Please see http://www.cofc.edu/jhc/portion/travel.html for exhibit information and travel schedule.)

Solomon Breibart Papers:

Compiled by Solomon Breibart.
Solomon Breibart was born (1914) in Charleston, South Carolina, shortly after his parents, Sam and Ida Breibart, relocated from New York. Originally from Russia, the Breibarts made their livelihood in Charleston as grocers. Solomon Breibart grew up to become a history teacher and historian. He married Sara Bolgla in 1942.
Contains four black and white photographs: image (ca. late 1920s) of Maurice, Isaac, Sam and Daniel Savitz; Solomon Breibart's graduation photograph (1928) from James Simons Elementary School; Solomon Breibart (1938); Solomon and Sara Bolgla Breibart on their honeymoon (1942.) Also includes 1924 calendar with depiction of "The Debutante," advertising "Sam Breibart Staple and Fancy Groceries/743 Meeting Street."
Donated by Solomon Breibart.
Related to Mss 1035-13, Oral history interview with Solomon Breibart and Mss 1032, Breibart-Lazarus family papers.

Julian T. Buxton, Jr. Papers:

Access is restricted to researchers who have written permission from Dr. Buxton's son, James Taylor Hughey Buxton. Restriction will be lifted in the year 2008.
Princeton alum, Julian T. Buxton, Jr., majored in history and lettered three times in football. He has served on Princeton's Board of Trustees and in 1977 received the Alumni Council Award for Service to Princeton. Dr. Buxton grew up in Sumter, South Carolina, and is currently (2002) a surgeon in Charleston, South Carolina.
Papers consist of Buxton's original annotated typescript (bound), "Franklin J. Moses, Jr., the Scalawag Governor of South Carolina," a thesis presented to the Department of History, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts, April 26, 1950. Included are a letter and two postcards from southern historian, Frances B. Simkins, which contain critique of the thesis, along with comments and encouragement to publish. Also notes (author unknown) that evaluate specific pages.
Donated by Julian T. Buxton.

George Chaplin Papers:

http://www.cofc.edu/%7Especcoll/chaplin.html

Asher D. Cohen Papers:

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1838, Asher D. Cohen became an attorney, served in the calvary and on Sullivan's Island during the Civil War and was later a prominent member of the Charleston Bar. He achieved distinction for his successful defense of Thomas Ballard McDow in the murder of Francis Warrington Dawson, editor of the News and Courier.
Most letters (1882-1909) are dated June and July 1889 and deal with Cohen's successful defense of Thomas Ballard McDow, who shot and killed Francis Warrington Dawson during an altercation in McDow's Charleston home. Most are congratulatory letters from writers such as R.N. Goldsmith, Charleston Mayor William A. Courtenay, E. Dreyfous of the New York City Police Department, M.R. Samuels (who comments on Francis Warrington Dawson) and Robert Chisolm (who notes the "divine right of self protection.")
Relating to the trial as well is a note from T. Nichle Nichols, on the retired list of the British Museum, about some evidence Cohen may not know of and notes (apparently Cohen's) to be used in his speech regarding the trajectory of the bullet that killed Dawson. Other materials include one letter (ca. 1901, written on stationery of the Women's Department, South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition ) re CSA service of Asher D. Cohen, McDuff Cohen, and David D. Cohen; some biographical letters and photocopied clippings.
Removed from Mss 1029, Thomas J. Tobias papers.

Reverend Jacob Cohen Photographs:

Reverend Jacob Cohen was born in 1871 in Vilna, Lithuania, and immigrated to America with his wife, Ellen, around 1894. He served as the first rabbi, cantor, shochet, and mohel for Beth Israel synagogue (est. 1911) in Charleston, South Carolina, from 1913-1919. The Cohens later moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania, where Jacob served in a similar capacity until his death in 1938.
Two photographs (both black and white) of Reverend Jacob Cohen. The first is an original image (1932, donated by Ellen Oberman Katzen) of Cohen taken in Scranton, PA. Second photograph is a print (donated by Cohen's grandson Marvin L. Simner) of original image of Rev. Cohen and his wife, Ellen, which appears to have been taken the same day and location as first photograph. Notes on Rev. Cohen (compiled by his grandson, Marvin L. Simner) also included.
Donated by Ethel Oberman Katzen and Marvin L. Simner.

Commemorative Civil War U.S. Postage Stamps (including Phoebe Pember):

"Classic collection"
Caption title.
This sheet of commemorative stamps honors the Monitor and the Virginia, Shiloh, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and sixteen individuals who were important in the Civil War: Robert E. Lee, Clara Barton, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, David Farragut, Frederick Douglass, Raphael Semmes, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Stand Watie, Joseph E. Johnston, Winfield Hancock, Mary Chesnut, William T. Sherman, Phoebe Pember, and "Stonewall" Jackson.
Details for each stamp appear on the back of the stamp.
Of special attention for South Carolina are Mary Boykin Chesnut and Charleston native Phoebe Pember, a Jewish Confederate nurse in charge of the dietary needs of over 10,000 soldiers at the Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond, Virginia.

Jacob DeLeon and Hannah Hendricks Descendents/ originally compiled by Abbot Low Moffat; Harold Moise:

Typescript.
"Originally compiled, May 25, 1935, by Abbot Low Moffat."
Born in Jamaica, Jacob De Leon married Hannah Hendricks of New York in 1789. The couple settled in South Carolina and had eight children. Twenty page typescript traces descendants of this family from the late 18th to mid-20th century. Family names include Levy, Moses, Cohen, Seixas, Adams, Salomon, Samuel, Forbes, Moise, Pollock, Kinstler, Moffat, Pelton, Robinson, Weinberg, Rosefield, and Moffat.
Transferred from KKBE Collection of S.C.

Jacob Denemark Naturalization Certificate:

Jacob Denemark was born in Poland. He immigrated to New York in 1902 and met his wife, Lizzie Seigel. The Denemarks moved south and lived in several towns including Georgetown, Mayesville, and Sumter, South Carolina, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They eventually settled in Sumter, SC, (ca. 1930) where Jacob worked as a merchant and Lizzie operated a store called The Smart Shop. The Denmarks had three children, Regina, Belle and Isidore.
Collection consists of original certificate and a photocopy. The official naturalization certificate of Jacob Denemark was issued by the United States of America, State of New York, January 18, 1904. The certificate notes that Denemark appeared before the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Judicial District and applied to become a citizen of the United States. Signed by Thomas L. Hamilton, Clerk. Document is fragile; use photocopy.
See Mss 1035-47 oral history interview with Isidore Denemark, son of Jacob and Lizzie Denemark.
Photocopy. Charleston, S.C. : College of Charleston, 2002. 1 item ; 28 cm.
Donated by Jacob Denemark.

Dinner Jacket from Bentschner and Visanska Fashionable Outfitters:

Black wool dinner jacket, lined in black with sleeves lined in mauve, carries a label sewn inside collar: "Bentschner and Visanska Fashionable Outfitters, Charleston, S.C." A label on an interior pocket states: "Tailored in all-wool/fabric by A.B. Kirschbaum Co., Philadelphia, New York" and provides a line for the owner's name and date.
Bentschner and Visanska was located at 252 King and 83 Hassell Streets, Charleston, South Carolina, and was owned by Julius M. Visanska.
Title supplied by cataloger.
The jacket was donated by Gary Towles who purchased it on E-Bay.

Joseph Fromberg Letter:

Joseph Fromberg was an attorney, holder of various public offices in South Carolina, assistant to the US District Attorney of the Eastern District of South Carolina and Judge of the Charleston Police Court. In his letter he notes, "I am a Jew ... a[n] American ... a Southerner and have been and intend to remain a Democrat." William Jennings Bryan Dorn, to whom the letter was written, was a Greenwood County farmer, and at the time of the letter, had served in the SC House and Senate and was a US Congressman.
Carbon typescript letter, dated August 10, 1948. Fromberg gives a lengthy history of himself and his position in the state. He then defends Judge J. Waties Waring for his recent decision to open up the Democratic Primary to African Americans, noting that he may not agree with Waring but defends his right to interpret the law. Fromberg objects to suggestions for actions made by Dorn, saying that such methods will undermine and destroy the government; he links Dorn to bigots and raises the issue of the Holocaust, showing the results of hate and intolerance.
Fromberg briefly describes the recent chaotic Democratic Executive Committee meeting in Columbia and with a religious ending, calls on Dorn to desist from his "foolish, puerile, and useless course."

Max Furchgott Photographs of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim:

Photographer, Max Furchgott was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1917. Originally interested in painting and drawing, Furchgott took art classes at the University of South Carolina and later moved to New York City. While in New York, he earned a living making water color portraits from photographs. Furchgott returned to Charleston during the late 1930s and continued to pursue the portraiture trade. While inquiring about job opportunities, a local photographer offered to sell Furchgott a studio and teach him to be a photographer. Furchgott accepted the offer and opened Furchgott Studio (41 George Street) in 1939, where it continues to operate in 2002.
Includes ten photographs (b/w) and twenty-two negatives (b/w) taken by photographer, Max Furchgott. All are images of people and events at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE), Charleston, SC, from 1948 to 1957. Bulk of images document KKBE's original tabernacle (erected 1838) and the new "Bicentennial" Tabernacle, constructed in 1948, dedicated in 1950. Includes images of the dedication of the Bicentennial Tabernacle, 1950; KKBE Board Members, 1950 and 1951; KKBE Sunday School, 1957; misc. images of Penina Moise's gravestone, Shearith Israel Synagogue (Wentworth Street), and KKBE's historical marker (on gates.) NOTE: Negatives are stored separately in Jewish Heritage Collection negative binders.
Donated by Max Furchgott.
See also oral history interview with Max Furchgott 1995; oral history interview with Robert Furchgott, 2001; Rosengarten fieldwork files on the Furchgott/Pincussohn/Brown families; MSS 1043 Arthur Furchgott Papers.

Moshe Yidel Geldbart Memorial Album:

Israel and Rebecca Geldbart, traveled from Charleston, South Carolina, to Mogielnica, Poland, in 1935 to visit family. During their stay, Israel's brother, Moshe, passed away. This album may have been compiled by Israel Geldbart, the donor's father.
Photocopy. Charleston, S.C. : College of Charleston, 2002. [12] leaves ; 13 cm.
Memorial photo album for Moshe Yidel Geldbart. Geldbart died February 25, 1935, in Mogielnica, Poland. Album is made of fabric and paper and contains ten black and white photographs (with decked edges) that chronicle Geldbart's funeral procession, casket, mourners, and gravesite, including image of Geldbart with his wife and son eight days before his death. Also loose photograph of Moshe Geldbart's son. Decorative labels which describe (in Hebrew) the photographs are pasted on each page. Album has been photocopied and includes English translations of Hebrew captions.
Donated by Ralph Geldbart.
See also MSS 1035-27 Oral history interview with Ralph Geldbart.
S.C. item is currently in exhibition, "A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life." It will be back at College of Charleston, January 2004. (Please see http://www.cofc.edu/~jhc/portion/travel.html for exhibit information and travel schedule.) Researchers should use photocopies for reference due to the fragility and importance of this item.

Frances Bass Ginsberg and Arthur Ginsberg Photograph:

Frances Bass and Arthur Ginsberg were married in Charleston, SC, 1949.
Black and white photograph (5" x 7"), ca. 1950, of Frances Bass Ginsberg with her husband, Arthur Ginsberg, in Florida. Each is holding two strings of large mouth bass.
Donated by Frances Bass Ginsberg.
See also MSS 1010 Ruth Bass Jacobs Collection for more images of Frances Bass Ginsberg.

Goose-Market in Cracow/ Artist, Alois Schonn; Engraved by William Unger:

Depicts crowds of people at the goose-market in Cracow, Poland, ca. 1860s. Hasidic Jew with payos and streimel in foreground is bending over to pick up a goose (from a group of geese); man (possibly a vendor) with long white beard leans against a wagon and smokes a pipe. Two children (one barefoot) walk in the right foreground. Several women in background carry baskets; man dressed in suit and top hat also visible. Streets appear to be laden with straw; two-story building in background has thatched roof. Artist signature (A. Schonn 1869) appears in bottom left corner of engraving.
This print of the 1869 engraving has a paper with artist and engraver information pasted on the back.
Donated by Philip Jacobs.

Harold P. Givner Papers:

Harold P. Givner was born in New York. His family moved to Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1900s where his father (Louis Givner) opened a tailor shop. Givner worked as a designer in the shop and eventually ran the business himself. He joined Dan Lodge No. 593 of B'nai B'rith in 1928, the year after he married his wife, Claire.
Two certificates (Dec. 1953) from Dan Lodge No. 593 of B'nai B'rith (Charleston, SC) and from District Grand Lodge No. 5 honoring Harold P. Givner for twenty-five years of service to the organization.
Donated by Janet Givner Oberman Livingstain.
See also Mss 1041 Isadore Givner Papers, for more information on the Givner family.

Hadassah (Charleston chapter) Papers:

http://www.cofc.edu/%7Especcoll/hadassah.html

Heiden Family Papers:

Rose Frances Drucker was born (1909) in Austria, the youngest daughter of Ethel and Lewis Drucker. She grew up in New York City and married Jay J. Heiden (1905-1983) in 1929. The Heidens settled in Lake City, South Carolina, and had two sons, Eric and Laurence. Eric Heiden (1935-) married Bari King (1937-) in 1956.
Collection consists of the negative (3"x 5") of a photograph of Lewis Drucker (ca. 1900) wearing uniform of the Austrian Army, photocopied images of Rose, Laurence and H. Eric Heiden from book, "Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star: Proceedings of the Forty Sixth Annual Session Grand Chapter of South Carolina Order of the Eastern Star, Myrtle Beach, SC, June 16-18, 1953," and a photocopied biographical sketch of Rose F. Drucker Heiden, Worthy Grand Matron of the Grand Chapter of South Carolina Order of the Eastern Star, 1952-1953.
Donated by Bari King Heiden.

Hirschman Family Papers:

http://www.cofc.edu/%7Especcoll/hirschman.html

Israel Family Prayer Book:

The prayer book, The form of prayers, according to the custom of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews (vol. 1), edited by Isaac Leeser, 1846, was given to Rebecca Elias in 1850 and given by her son, Melvin M. Israel, to his niece, Adelheid Rebecca Triest, in 1917.
The prayer book contains two back pages of Israel family births and deaths, from 1862 to 1870.
Donated by Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim.

Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (art original)/ William Halsey:

Title supplied by cataloger.
In this acrylic painting, an angled view of the front exterior of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, with its iron fence and gate, is shown from the street.
Donated by H.A. Alexander, Jr.

David Karesh Letters:

http://www.cofc.edu/%7Especcoll/karesh.html

Ethel Oberman Katzen Papers:

The youngest of seven children, Ethel Oberman Katzen was born at home in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1920. Her parents, Isaac (b. 1884) and Sarah (b. 1885) Oberman emigrated from Poland in 1906 and settled in Charleston, SC, where Isaac worked in the furniture business. Ethel Oberman married Julius Katzen in 1943.
Collection includes personal photographs and ephemera of Ethel Oberman Katzen. Six candid photographs (ca. 1930s-1940s) of Katzen with friends posing at various Charleston, SC, locations including Folly Beach, the Battery and King Street (photocopies of images with identifications included). Ephemera includes Ethel Oberman Katzen's certificate of distinction (1933) from Bennett School in Charleston, SC; certificate of membership (1934-1935) to Cecile Rubin Chapter of Young Judaea; membership cards (1935-1936) to Girl Scouts, Inc.
Also included are an invitation to the Charleston Israel Bonds dinner (1976); sheet of letterhead (ca. 1940s) from I. Oberman Complete Household Furniture (King Street); letterhead (ca. 1940s) from Beth Israel Congregation.
Donated by Ethel Oberman Katzen.
See also oral history interview with Ethel Oberman Katzen (MSS 1035-46); Katzen copy photographs; Dale Rosengarten's field work files.

Kipnis Family Papers:

http://www.cofc.edu/%7Especcoll/kipnis.html

Sol Kohn Tax Returns:

State of South Carolina Individual Income Tax Returns (1927-1929) prepared for Sol Kohn. Each packet of documents contains the actual tax return form and typed Statements of Profit and Loss; Statements of Dividends Received; Statements of Donations; and Statements of Gain or Loss on Securities Sold. Financial information pertains to Kohn's personal assets as well as income generated from his two stores.
Donated by Wendy B. Stahl and Marvin Bienstock.
Note: Tax returns purchased from Ole Towne Antique Mall, Columbia, SC.

Rosalie Goldstein Kurland Papers:

Compiled by Rosalie Goldstein Kurland.
Rosalie Goldstein Kurland was born in Charleston, SC. She began her singing career at Charleston radio station WCSC and was chosen to represent South Carolina at the 1942 Radio Queen of the South competition in Miami, Florida. Kurland sings traditional Jewish music and has been a favorite entertainer at many Jewish organizations.
Collection contains original black and white photograph (1942) of Rosalie Goldstein [Kurland] receiving award from representative of WCSC [radio station] to represent South Carolina in the Radio Queen of the South Contest. Includes a news clipping (photocopy) of Rosalie Goldstein in Miami with caption, "Charlestonian at Beach Contest"; program (ca. 1990s) from a New York Hadassah meeting introducing Kurland as the guest performer.
Donated by Rosalie Goldstein Kurland.

Letter from Rev. Dr. & Mrs. David de Sola Pool to Mr. & Mrs. Louis Toporek:

A leading figure in American Jewish life during the 20th century, Reverend Dr. David de Sola Pool was minister of Congregation Shearith Israel (the first Jewish congregation to be established in North America) in New York City and President of the Union of Sephardic Congregations. Rev. Dr. de Sola Pool married Tamar Hirschensohn (1890-1981) in 1917. Tamar H. de Sola Pool was National President of Hadassah (1939-1943) and active in the National Council of Jewish Women and World Zionist Organization.
Letter; handwritten on letterhead: "The Rev. Dr. D. de Sola Pool/Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue/Shearith Israel/Founded 1654"; sent to Mr. and Mrs. Louis Toporek [Bernice] of Charleston, South Carolina; signed, "David and Tamar de Sola Pool"; regarding a book the de Sola Pools sent the Toporeks; mention of a Kiddush cup the Toporeks gave the de Sola Pools and fond memories of a visit to Charleston, SC; best wishes sent to the Karesh family.
Donated by Louis Toporek.
See also oral history interview with Louis and Bernice Toporek.

Levenson-Baruch Family Papers:

South Carolina families connected by the marriage (1950) of Sam Levenson and Carolyn Baruch. Originally from Lithuania, Frank Levenson (Sam's father) opened a general merchandise store in Bishopville, South Carolina, in 1910. Sam helped with the business and eventually ran a liquor store in Bishopville. Carolyn Baruch Levenson grew up in Camden, South Carolina. Her father, Herman Baruch, was a cousin of American financier and diplomat, Bernard Baruch.
Contains photocopy of Theresa Baruch Weil's United Daughters of the Confederacy certificate (ca. 1910); photocopy of Frank and Ed Levenson's South Carolina business registration (1918); Sam Levenson's certificate (ca. 1943-1944) of completion for Enlisted Specialist Course for Veterinary Technicians, U.S. Army. Photographs include two prints, (b/w, 8" x 10") of Sam Levenson and fifteen other uniformed service men in front of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, 1944.
Includes photocopied photographs of the Levenson family (1910s-1960s), "Pupil's Workbook for How the Jewish People Grew Up," by Mordecai I. Soloff, (1936) used (ca. 1938) by Carolyn Baruch at Temple Beth El religious school, Camden, South Carolina, and printed flier (ca. 1930s) advertising a mule sale at the Frank Levenson Store, Bishopville, SC.
Miscellaneous materials are five color prints depicting Old Testament biblical passages (published by the American Tissot Society and the Tissot Picture Society, New York, copyright 1904 by deBrunoff), including: Joshua and the Five Kings, Joshua Gives the Signal for the Attack, Sampson Turns the Mill in Prison, David Sees the Messenger Arrive and Abraham Entertains the Three Angels; also a newspaper article re. Frank Levenson's fifty years as a Bishopville merchant (The State, Columbia, SC, Sept. 7, 1962.)
Donated by Sam and Carolyn Baruch Levenson.
Related to oral history interviews with Sam and Carolyn Levenson and Ella Levenson Schlossberg.

Louis Michael Libater Papers:

Originally from Austria, Louis Michael Libater immigrated to the United States and settled in Charleston, South Carolina. He became a U.S. citizen in 1904. Libater married and had a son, Samuel Alex Libater, in 1912. He worked as a clerk at I.D. Rubin Clothing Store in Charleston until his death in 1920. Donor, Lawrence Michael Libater, is Louis Libater's grandson.
Papers consist of Louis Michael Libater's certificate of U.S Citizenship (1904) and a photographic portrait (re-print) of Libater, ca. 1885. Citizenship certificate was issued by Judge William H. Brawley, U.S. District Court of South Carolina, on testimony of O.N. Levy and Wolf Levin, both of Charleston, SC. Notation on certificate that Libater must "renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria."
Donated by Lawrence Michael Libater and Charlotte Portugal Libater.

Lourie Family Papers:

Born in Russia, Louis Lourie (1890-1938) immigrated to the United States and opened a department store in St. George, South Carolina, at the age of 22. He married Ann Friedman in 1921, and the couple had six children (including donor). In 1948 Lourie's sons, Sol and Mick, expanded the business and opened a retail outlet in Columbia, SC. Another son, Isadore Lourie (b. 1932), served in the South Carolina legislature from the 1960s-1980s.
Note: entire collection is color copies of photographs. Includes images of Annie Friedman Lourie with her mother, Betty Friedman, and sisters Becky Friedman and Minnie Kalinsky, ca. early 1940s; group photos (ca. 1945) include Sara Lourie Gordon, Sarah Kalinsky Nossakoff, Morris Kalinsky, Ethel Kalinsky Kramer, Minnie Kalinsky, Arnold Levinson, Libby Levinson, Margie Levinson Goldstein, Mary Lourie Rittenberg, and Dr. Herbert Lourie.
Also includes image of Gov. Strom Thurmond cutting the ribbon at opening (1948) of Lourie's store at 1433 Main Street, Columbia, SC; group photograph of extended Lourie family, 1995; copy of Annie G. Friedman and Louis Lourie's wedding invitation, 1921.
Donated by Isadore E. Lourie.

Lillie Goldstein Lubin Papers:

The daughter of Polish and Lithuanian immigrants, Lillie Goldstein was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1923. Her mother, Bessie Goldstein, was determined to provide her daughters (Lillie and younger sister, Rosalie) with a musical education, and by age nine, Lillie was taking voice lessons and performing at radio station WCSC's Children's Hour.
In 1939, Goldstein was chosen to represent South Carolina at the Radio Queen of the South competition in Miami, Florida, and by 1940, she was performing with Charleston's Oratorio Society. (Her sister, Rosalie, won the same contest three years later.) Goldstein married Harry Lubin in the mid-1940s. Her talent led her to a professional operatic career in New York City and the stage name, "Lisa" Lubin.
Collection consists of eleven photographs (originals and prints) of Lillie Goldstein and her sister, Rosalie Goldstein (Kurland.) Includes images (ca. 1930s) of the sisters as young girls, and in Miami Beach, Florida, (1942) when Rosalie represented South Carolina in the Radio Queen of the South contest; one image of the Goldstein sisters (and other contest winners) taken at the Coconut Grove Club in Miami Beach. Miscellaneous images include Lillie Goldstein's publicity photograph (1940), and image (1940) of Goldstein, Helen Laufer and the Gershon sisters at Folly Beach, South Carolina.
Collection includes news clipping (ca. 1940) from The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) announcing Goldstein's performance in "The Creation" with Charleston's Oratorio Society; includes five pieces of sheet music: "Where or When," "Deep Purple," "With Plenty of Money and You," "I'm in the Mood for Love," and "I'll See You Again."
Most photographs also exist in slide and negative format and are housed in the JHC Negative Notebook.
Donated by Lillie Goldstein Lubin.
Related to Mss 1034-36, Rosalie Goldstein Kurland papers, and Mss 1035-92, Oral history interview with Lillie Goldstein Lubin.

Joseph Mann Letters:

Access is restricted to researchers who have written permission from the donor, Harry Price. Restriction will be lifted in January 2003.
Joseph Mann of Laurens, South Carolina, married Amelia Robinson of Jacksonboro, SC, in 1878. The couple settled in Newberry, SC. Joseph and Amelia Mann were great-grandparents of donor, Harry Price.
Collection consists of sixteen letters and two poems, all handwritten originals. Majority (fourteen) are love letters (April-Dec. 1877) from Joseph Mann to Amelia (Milia) Robinson, written during their courtship. Mann did not write in English, so a friend wrote the letters for him. Topics include Mann's sentimental anticipation of their nuptials and his love for Robinson.
His letters also mention family members in Laurens and Robinson's siblings, references to Mann's store in Newberry, SC; occasional remarks about local events include construction of a railroad, a neighbor's house burning down, and general observations about the weather.
Other material includes two poems written to/about Amelia Robinson: one composed by Geo. S. Ladrobe (Jan. 1877) and another (undated) entitled "Cast It Not Away," by "A Friend." Also letter (Sept. 1882) from Sigmund and Bertha Jacoby to their "beloved children" expressing wishes for a successful life; letter (Oct. 1894) to Mrs. Mann from E.A. Scott, Fire Insurance Agent and Dealer in Coal, expressing thanks for a kindness bestowed upon him. All material has been photocopied and transcribed.
Donated by Harry Price.

Penina Moise Poems:

Abraham Moïse, a Sephardic Jew, immigrated to the West Indies from France and became a successful businessman; he later fled (1791) to Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife, Sarah, in the midst of a slave insurrection. Penina, the Moïse's sixth child (of nine), was born on April 23, 1797, in Charleston, SC. Abraham Moïse died when Penina was twelve, leaving the family impoverished. Penina took on a majority of the household management and dropped out of school to care for her mother and siblings. She managed to find time to study on her own and began to write Jewish hymns, poems and odes.
Her first published poem appeared in a Charleston newspaper in 1819. For the next six decades, Moïse's stories, poems and essays appeared in national magazines such as Godey's Ladies' Book and local newspapers from New Orleans to New York. She was a regular contributor to Isaac Leeser's Occident and American Jewish Advocate, an early English language Jewish newspaper. Moïse first won national artistic acclaim in 1833 when she published Fancy's Sketch Book, a collection of her poems.
It was the first available book of verse by an American Jewish woman and appeared under her name at a time when most female authors used pseudonyms. In the 1840s, Moïse headed K.K. Beth Elohim's (Charleston) Sunday school and supplemented her household income by making fine lace and embroidery; she never married. She wrote poems and songs for her Sunday school children to recite, most of which pertained to Jewish history and encouraged children to take pride in their heritage. During the Civil War, Moïse wrote poems to encourage soldiers as they went to battle.
It was at this time that she began to experience problems with her eyesight and was soon confined to her home, suffering from near-blindness, neuralgia and insomnia. Despite her physical problems, Penina continued to teach, conducting a private Sunday school out of her home; she taught literature from memory. With her niece Jacqueline as scribe, Moïse continued to write verse and hymns on Jewish themes, many of which are still sung in Jewish Sabbath Schools. Penina Moïse died on September 13, 1880, and is buried in the Coming Street Cemetery in Charleston, S.C. Her dedication and devotion to Judaism were the driving forces in her life and writing.
The collection consists of two original poems, handwritten by the author, Penina Moïse. The first, entitled "On Parting with My Press," is one page; the second, "To the Consecration," is two pages.
Donated by Solomon Breibart.
Stored in JHC Oversize box.
Related to the Thomas J. Tobias papers, Mss 1029.

Jeffery Oppenheim Family Tree:

Includes bibliographical references.
Originally from Germany, the Oppenheim family first appears in Charleston, South Carolina, history during the early 19th century. Other relatives settled in New York, Georgia, Alabama and Ohio.
Collection consists of two copies of a printed family tree of the Oppenheim family, tracing Oppenheim relatives back to the late 14th century (some gaps in time periods) and concluding in the 1980s. Includes information on the Von Butzbach, Ballin, Bachrach, Menz, Meir, Levi, Weinsburg, Gompei, Cohen, Goldschmidt, Spanier, Brillan, Phillips, Goldsmith, Alexander, Aaron Von Blitz, Mears, Sabludowsky, Goldenberg, and Schulhofer families. A decorative tree design with some color appears on the page.
Contains photographic images of the following: Samuel Wolff Oppenheim; Leffman Behrens Cohen; Hertz Wolff Oppenheim; Rachael Moses; Catherine Moses Oppenheim; Julius Hertz Oppenheim; Sarah Ann Goldsmith Oppenheim; Ralph Benjamin Oppenheim; Henrietta Schulhofer; Mary Sarah Brown; Philip Schulhofer; Abraham Alexander; Isaac Sabludowsky; Hannah Aarons Von Blitz Alexander; Abraham Alexander, Jr.; Babetta Schulhofer; Samuel Goldenberg; Hinda Steinfeld; Herschel Hirsch; Isaac Marrits and Ettie Resincoff; Samuel Marrits; Jean Goldenberg Marrits; Ida Vida Sable and Abraham Hirsch with Justin Sable Oppenheim; Abraham Hirsch; Ida Vida Sable; Ferdinand Oppenheim; Esther Oppenheim; Joyce and Justin Oppenheim; Judi, Jeffrey Oppenheim and Janet Wexler; Janet and Barry Wexler; Abagail (i.e., Abigail) Jean Wexler.
The accompanying manuscript, The Michals, Mears, Isaacks and Phillips families, provides extensive details on individuals in the families as well as local history and bibliographical references.
The author of the list of photographs (which appears printed on the family tree) was not consistent in listing names, particularly in terms of including middle names and married names for women.
Donated by Sol Breibart.

Photographs of an unidentified South Carolina Family:

Donor speculates (in 1998 correspondence) that photographer of the collection worked for a Mr. Hyman in Camden, South Carolina.
These twelve sepia tone photographs picture two women, a man, two young girls, and at least one more child who is visible in the background of several images. Subjects (who may be a Jewish family in Camden, South Carolina) are dressed in formal styles of the early 1900s. All photographs were taken in the garden behind a house with subjects in formal poses.
Donated by Ella Levenson Schlosburg.

Polan Family Artifacts:

Collection contains five artifacts: Gertrude Polan's aluminum bread crumb tray and scraper used at the family home in Mullins, South Carolina; Hyman Polan's koshering knife and whetstone (used ca. 1940s-1960s); cotton handkerchief to wrap knife and whetstone.
Donated by Sylvia Polan Weintraub.
Related to oral history interview with Sylvia and Larry Weintraub.

Isaac Prodosky Military Certificates:

Isaac Prodosky was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1891. He entered the United States Army on May 27, 1918, and served as a Private First Class in Company I, 322nd Infantry. He received an honorable discharge in June 1919.
The collection consists of three certificates presented to Isaac Prodosky: 1) Order of Induction into Military Service of the United States (May 20, 1918), instructing Prodosky to report to the local board at Walterboro, SC; 2) Veteran's Note (1931) for loan of $153.00 made to Prodosky by the U.S. Veteran's Bureau under the World War Adjusted Compensation Act; and 3) United States of America Certification of Military Service awarded to Prodosky, May 6, 1971, which states the years and capacity in which he served the Army of the United States.
This collection was transferred from the Jewish Community Center collection.

Virginia Moise Rosefield’s Application for membership to the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Washington, D.C.:

Caption title.
Marks Lazarus was a Private and later Sergeant Major during the American Revolution. He served at the sieges of Ft. Moultrie and Savannah and in defense of his native city, Charleston, South Carolina.
Application for membership to the DAR, from "Sumter's House," Sumter, South Carolina, submitted by Virginia Moïse (Mrs. Herbert A.) Rosefield, January 1959. Mrs. Rosefield was granted membership by right of lineal descent from Marks Lazarus, her great-great-great-great grandfather. Application traces Rosefield's relation to Lazarus and provides genealogical information including birth, death and marriage dates for descendants. The application is accompanied by a typed page with details from the application and with "information taken from M.E. Harby's accepted application for membership in Sons of the American Revolution."

Isaac Dave Rubin and Family Postcard:

Isaac Dave Rubin was born in Russia in 1869. He was educated at the Jewish Theological Seminary of Kovno and immigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1894 where he earned a living in the jewelry business. Rubin attended Brith Sholom synagogue and was president of the congregation in 1909. He married Sarah, ca. 1902, and had several children. Rubin died in Charleston in 1943 and is buried at Brith Sholom cemetery.
Postcard with photographic image of Isaac Dave Rubin and family (Rubin is pictured with his wife, Sarah, son Moe, daughter Rachel and three other individuals, possibly Rubin's siblings.) Photograph was taken in front of a Charleston home. A greeting is printed in Hebrew on the left edge of the postcard. Translated to English: "May you be written and sealed for a good year/May there be peace and tranquility in your house/Peace to those far and near." Printed below in English: "Happiness/Blessing/Health and Satisfaction/To the New Year." Printed on right edge of postcard, "Mr. and Mrs. I.D. Rubin and Family, Charleston, SC." Collection also contains photocopy of Rubin's obituary (1943).
This collection was transferred from the Jewish Community Center collection.

Laz Levkoff Schneider Family Papers:

http://www.cofc.edu/%7Especcoll/laz.html

Oise Sokol Family Tree (Descendants):

Oise Sokol was born in Poland in 1837. He and his wife, Chava, had eight children, Chaiya Faega, Esther, Chava, Baruch Mordecai, Itcha Lazier, Leaperesh, Tzvish, and Devorah Pearl. Several of the Sokols' grandchildren immigrated to the United States and settled in South Carolina.
The genealogy traces the descendents of Oise Sokol of Poland. Family names in genealogy include: Sokol, Solomon, Altman, Levy, Oxler, Morford, Cooper, Shapiro, Greenberg, Lichtman, Meshumar, Katz, Kass, Harris, Haas, Nalibotsky, Spahn, Poliakoff, Goldberg, Miller, Scharff, Aaron, Gotbeter, Arel, Appel, Kaplan, Rones, Saffer, Sykes, Baker, Slotin, Cohen, Parsley, Collis, Weintraub, Obstbaum, Fried, Streit, Wyland, Parker, Toporek, Chaplin, Herman, Stamper, Robinson, Rubin, Budman, Berger, Greenbaum, Planer, Bellen, Fohrman, Ramenofsky, Karesh, Ubfal, Kipnis, Halio, Needle, Siemiaticky, Hertz, Rosner, Freedman, Feinberg, Rosenberg, Kalinsky, Rundbaken, Hunsinger, Chase, Epstein, Fox, Levin, and Prystowksy.
Donated by Helene Goldberg Scharff.

Benjamin and Mary Solomon Papers:

Russian immigrants Benjamin Louis Solomon and Mary Rosen were married on May 10, 1917, in Poughkeepsie, NY. The Solomons moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where Benjamin worked as a tailor and dry goods clerk. They later moved to Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Benjamin Solomon officially changed his name from Berall Lozer Charchewsky to Benjamin Louis Solomon when he received U.S. citizenship in 1942.
Collection includes Benjamin and Mary Solomon's official United States of America Certificates of Naturalization (1942, 1945) with photo identifications. On reverse of Benjamin Solomon's certificate is typed notation (signed by N.P. deSaussure, Deputy Clerk of U.S. District Court) that Solomon's name was changed from Berall Lozer Charchewsky, as part of the naturalization.
Also included is an abstract of Benjamin and Mary Solomon's marriage license from the Register of Marriages (Poughkeepsie, New York) with embossed Court of Poughkeepsie seal. Papers also include illustrated stock certificate (1919) for three shares of Jewish Colonial Trust (later known as Otzar Hityashvuth Hayehudim Jewish Colonial Trust) with letter and report (1957) from Chase Manhattan Bank (New York) regarding history and value of stock.
Donated by Sydney Solomon Richman.

Irving Sonenshine World War II Documents:

Compiled by Irving Sonenshine.
Born in Charleston, SC, Irving Sonenshine served as a navigator in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II.
Memo (August 1945) from Philip S. Ballard, Major, Air Corps Assistant Adjutant, Headquarters of the 499th Bombardment Group/Unit Personal Section (San Francisco, SC) re. announcement that Irving Sonenshine had been awarded the Oak-Leaf Cluster to Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross; includes "General Orders No. 27" which describes the Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross and lists the 1945 recipients. Map (January 1945) of the Nagoya-Osaka (Japan); printed at top of map, "A-2 Section/XXI Bomber Command/Chart No. 3/ Restricted"; pen markings and date, "1941" around Nagoya. Collection includes Sonenshine's ca. 1940s Army Summer Dress jacket.
Note: map is stored in JHC oversize box.
Note: jacket is stored in Artifacts series.
Donated by Irving Sonenshine.
See also Mss 1035-169 Oral history interview with Irving Sonenshine.

Sukkah:

http://www.cofc.edu/%7Especcoll/sukkah1.html

http://www.cofc.edu/%7Especcoll/sukkah2.html

http://www.cofc.edu/%7Especcoll/sukkah3.html

Sukkot is the harvest festival of Judaism. The sukkah, a temporary hut built of branches and leaves, is the main feature of the festival. The origin of dwelling in sukkah during the festival is not certain; some believe the sukkah is a reminder that Jews live everywhere only temporarily, wandering eternally. The Sukkot celebration calls for living in sukkah for seven days; most people limit their activities to eating and study in the structure. Any lightweight material can be used to build the walls of a sukkah, and openings must be left in the roof to allow sight of the sun, moon and stars. In celebration of the harvest, the sukkah is decorated with fruits and vegetables.
In the 1920s, the Sholk family lived at 438 King Street, Charleston, SC above Harris Livingstain Hardware. Because the family had a tiny backyard, they did not have room to construct a traditional sukkah structure for the harvest festival. Harry Sholk built (ca. 1925) this miniature version for his daughter, Mary, when she was four years old. It was placed in the family dining room during Sukkot. The roof was covered with green pine needles in place of customary palm branches. Mary Sholk married Irvin "Dunny" Zalkin and had daughters Sally, Susan and Jane.
Miniature sukkah structure. Hand-made of wood and nails; two windows on both sides and a door with one step at front of structure. Roof is made of six wood slats. Contains dollhouse size furnishings including: oval rug, dining table and four chairs, sideboard, desk, shelves, bench with cushion, four ceramic and glass cup and saucer sets, two ceramic platters and a vase. Slatted roof is adorned with plastic fruit and flowers.

Sumter Society of Israelites Cemetery Records:

Mark Solomons was recorded as the first permanent Jewish inhabitant of Sumter, South Carolina, settling in the area ca. 1815-1820. From that time forward, Sumter's Jewish community grew steadily. Land for a Jewish cemetery was purchased in 1874 and the Hebrew Cemetery Society formed. In 1881, the Society merged with the Hebrew Benevolent Society and in 1895 the Hebrew Benevolent Society joined with the Sumter Society of Israelites, continuing under the latter name.
Includes two page pamphlet (1945), "Congregation Sinai Sumter Society of Israelites: Cemetery Rules and Regulations"; letter (Sept. 26, 1956) from Herbert A. Moses, Warden of Cemetery, to Mrs. Frank Sindler, re. preparation of deed for cemetery lot no. 85 and payment of dues; invoice (Oct. 4, 1956) re. Mrs. Frank Sindler's $50.00 payment for lot no. 85, Sumter Society of Israelites Cemetery.
Donated by Allan Jay Sindler.
Related to "The early minutes of the Sumter Society of Israelites" (in Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries: F279.S8 M6 1936)

Synagogue Emanu-El, Maryville Cemetery stock certificate, 1949:

Founded in 1947, Synagogue Emanu-El was the first Conservative congregation in South Carolina. Emanu-El's Maryville Cemetery was dedicated during the administration (1949-1950) of the synagogue's second president, Dr. Matthew Steinberg, on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Leon Steinberg.
Certificate number 22 (printed on both sides) indicates that Matthew Steinberg purchased one share of capital stock in Synagogue Emanu-El's Maryville Cemetery for $100; dated March 1, 1949, and signed by Macey Kronsberg, president of Synagogue Emanu-El. Includes photocopies of certificate.
Donated by Joan S. Loeb.

Wedding Invitations:

Two engraved wedding invitations: from marriage of Dina Kohn (daughter of Theodore Kohn) and Gus Hirsch, Orangeburg, SC, August 6, 1902; from marriage of Rosalie Levy (niece of Morris Israel) and William Rosenbaum, Charleston, SC, Nov. 27, 1901. Both invitations include reception cards. Note: invitations purchased from Ole Towne Antique Mall, Columbia, SC.
Donated by Wendy B. Stahl and Marvin Bienstock.

Wolper Family Photographs and Medal:

Jacob Wolper immigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, from Poland, ca. 1910. His first wife died in an earlier immigration attempt. His second wife, Cecile Barr, and four children joined him in Charleston in 1915. The Wolpers had three more children, including Isadore Wolper (1917-1989), Moses Wolper (1919-1979), and Leon Wolper, (1923- . The family lived at 162 King Street where Jacob Wolper made his living as a cobbler.
The collections includes two photographs. First is an 8X10 black and white print (not original) of the Jacob Wolper Family, (made after the family was reunited in Charleston, 1915.) Pictured are Cecile Wolper Lazarus (1903-1975), Pauline Wolper Lynch (1898-1950), Cecile Barr Wolper (1887-1965), Louis Edwin Wolper (1910-1987), Jacob Wolper (1876-1940) and Max Wolper (1900-1985). Second photograph is an 8X10 group image (black and white) of the South Carolina-Georgia Masada Conclave at Jekyll Island, GA, March 1949. Leon Wolper pictured. The photograph was originally owned by Lilly Rubenstein.
Collection also includes Jacob Wolper's Kalushiner Society Medal, engraved with the dates he was president of the society, 1930-1931.
Donated by Leon Wolper.

Walter H. Solomon (art original): founder and director Home Federal Savings and Loan Association, Charleston, SC / Goodbred:

In wooden frame, 242 x 209 cm.
Title is engraved on metal plate attached to the frame.
Donated by Bill, Barbara, and Ellen Solomon.

Zionist Organization of America (Charleston, SC) Papers:

With no history available, all that is known of this organization comes from the bound volume and the accompanying papers. The Zionist Organization of America (Charleston, S.C.) was active in 1917 when the minutes begin and continued through the 1940s. With members from the orthodox and reform congregations, its goal was to encourage and promote the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The organization is known alternately in the minutes as Bnei Zion and the Charleston Zionist Society.
The minutes (1917-1933 with a gap from May 1922-November 1923; and 1940-1944) cover all the special and regular meetings of the organization. Members attending are listed and there are various lists throughout the volume, detailing the approximately 100 or so men and women who belonged. Topics were discussed, at first, in both Yiddish and English. Dues were collected and there are frequent mentions of the need to raise more funds for specific causes, and the need to energize the populations of Charleston and South Carolina for Zionism.
There were many debates about which larger organization with which to affiliate, the Zionist Organization of America, or the world organization with the group deciding on the former. The Orthodox Zionist organization, the Mizrahi, is also mentioned and funds were raised for it. Much debate centered on which agencies should be supported with the group working for both Keren Hayesod (The Palestine Foundation Fund), and organizations closer to home, such as the Talmud Torah, or local Hebrew School. Often joining the group meetings are members of the women's organization Hadassah.
There are numerous reports of election of officers, and delegates to attend national conventions who report back on activities there. The earlier minutes make distinctions between Charleston's "uptown" and "downtown" Jews, the newer arrivals and those more settled, but by the beginning 1930s, such gradations are not mentioned, as the organization works for, among other things, the founding and prospering of the youth group, Aleph Zadik Aleph.
There are members present from all three local congregations, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Brith Sholom, and Beth Israel, with the latter two predominating. Prominent members and officers included Samuel Rittenberg, Rabbi Jacob S. Raisin, Joseph Hepler, Louis Shimel, Rabbi Menahem Mendel Horowitz, Harry Simonhoff, Joseph Goldman, and others. Later minutes (1940-1944) are typed, and loose, with financial reconciliations, and reports of delegates to national meetings. Included as well is one undated, ca. 1947, note re a day of prayer for Jews in Palestine.