Temple Sinai (Sumter, South Carolina)

Temple Sinai is an historic Reform synagogue located at 11 Church Street on the corner of West Hampton Avenue, in Sumter, South Carolina, United States.[2][3] Built in 1912 of brick in the Moorish Revival style, Temple Sinai was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 1999. It is also known as Congregation Sinai, whose official name is the Sumter Society of Israelites. It also houses the Temple Sinai Jewish History Center which opened in June 2018.[2]

Temple Sinai
Location11 Church Street
Sumter, South Carolina
Coordinates33°55′17.7″N 80°20′48.4″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1912
Architectural styleMoorish Revival
NRHP reference No.98001645[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 21, 1999

History

The first Jewish settlers in Sumter were Sephardi who came from Charleston in 1815. Congregation Sinai, whose official name is the Sumter Society of Israelites, was formed in April, 1895, by the merger of the Hebrew Cemetery Society and the Sumter Hebrew Benevolent Society. Visiting rabbis from Charleston and Augusta, Georgia. served the congregation until 1904 when Rabbi Jacob Klein settled in Sumter. The sanctuary of the present temple was built in 1912 facing Church Street to replace an earlier wooden synagogue on the site.[4]

The Barnett Memorial Addition, a two-story brick Moorish Revival auditorium/banquest hall and classroom/office building facing West Hampton Avenue, was built in 1932, behind the sanctuary, which it complements. In 1956, the one story brick Hyman Brody Building was attached to the rear of the Barnett Memorial Addition to provide a kitchen and more classrooms, offices and restrooms. Although simpler than the other two buildings, it still has some Moorish features.[2]

Temple Sinai's archives have been donated to the Jewish Heritage Collection at the College of Charleston.[5]

Stained glass windows

Temple Sinai is noted for the eleven drapery glass stained glass windows on its side and entrance walls, which depict scenes from the Tanakh. With the exception of one round window high over the entrance portico, the windows are uniformly five feet wide by twenty feet high and in their shape mimic the castellated domed Moorish towers that flank the entrance.[4][6]

Current status

Temple Sinai is still an active reform congregation.[7] It has entered into an agreement with Coastal Community Foundation, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, and the Charleston Jewish Federation to maintain its cemetery and Temple and to address concerns regarding its long-term viability. Additionally, in 2015, Temple Sinai entered a partnership with the Sumter County Museum to create a permanent exhibit about Jewish history in South Carolina and in Sumter. The museum also includes a section devoted to the Holocaust and Sumter's ties to the Holocaust. Temple Sinai Jewish History Center opened to the public on June 2, 2018. [8]

See also
  • List of Registered Historic Places in South Carolina

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Richardson, Katherine H. (June 3, 2003). "Temple Sinai" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  3. "Temple Sinai, Sumter County (11 Church St., Sumter)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  4. "History of Temple Sinai | Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina". www.jhssc.org. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  5. "Jewish Heritage Collection « at the College of Charleston Addlestone library". spinner.cofc.edu. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  6. Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina: Jewish Heritage Days, Sumter, SC, March 2006 Archived 2008-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Organizations | Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina". www.jhssc.org. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  8. Levere, Jane L. (2010-12-01). "Jewish Congregations Turn to Living Wills". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-20..
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