Originally opened in 1869, the Synagogue of the Congregation of B’nai Israel (Children of Israel) is the oldest standing synagogue in the state of Georgia and one of the oldest in the United States. Its congregants came from nearby Hamburg and Aiken, SC, as well as the Augusta, GA, area. Located in the heart of Augusta, GA’s Historic District, it stands next to the original Court of Ordinary, built in 1860 which is also historically significant since it is an early fireproof building in Georgia.
In 2015, the news swept through Augusta that the City of Augusta planned to demolish the two historic buildings to make room for additional municipal parking. Augusta’s Jewish community, led by local historian Jack Steinberg (OBM) and many others in the CSRA community, leaped to save these two historic structures.
A coalition of concerned citizens was swiftly formed from both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities to protest the destruction. Eventually, the City of Augusta agreed to not demolish the buildings. Leaders of Historic Augusta and members and friends of the Jewish community formed an alliance around their cause. The buildings would be completely restored and become a center of learning and awareness for all.
The City of Augusta agreed to give the newly formed Augusta Jewish Museum board five years to raise money, do restoration, and open the museum. City of Augusta leaders agreed that if the Augusta Jewish Museum was in operation by July 2021, the City of Augusta would donate both buildings to the Augusta Jewish Museum to enhance the life and culture of the Augusta region.
On Tuesday, April 21, 2020, the Augusta Commission approved the plans to construct the Augusta Jewish Museum through Phase One of the Court of Ordinary renovation. The Phase One restoration was completed in July 2021, the deeds were turned over to Augusta Jewish Museum, and community programming began. The museum’s exhibits were completed and opened in July 2024.
The work to revitalize the oldest standing synagogue building in GA continues!
In 1802, the first Jewish family to settle in Augusta was the Henricks family of Charleston, South Carolina. Descendants continue to live in Augusta today. The Hendricks family remained the only Jewish family in Augusta until 1825 when they were joined by the Florence family and the Moise family from Charleston, SC. In 1845, several German-Jewish families arrived. All of them came together to form the Augusta, GA and Hamburg, SC Jewish community.
A school to teach children Jewish history, culture including the Hebrew language was started in 1845, taught by the daughters of Isaac Hendricks and Jacob Moise. By 1846, the B’nai Israel (Children of Israel) Hebrew Society was formed with twenty charter member families, fifteen from Augusta and five from Hamburg. About a dozen students attended the religious school and that same year, the Augusta City officials presented a section for plots of historic Magnolia Cemetery to the Jewish community.
In 1847, Isaac Henry, a local banker, fitted out a building for the Congregation to use as a gathering place to learn and worship and it was used as the Synagogue until 1852. That year, the congregation leased the building at the corner of Greene and Jackson Street and utilized that location for 17 years. The Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) was founded in 1855.
The majority of Jewish men served for the Confederate Army, defending the institution of American enslavement during the Civil War. Four of the congregants gave their lives for this cause. Two of those killed were brothers, sons of Sheriff Isaac Levy. Captain Rush and the Levy Brothers are buried in Magnolia Cemetery.
In 1869, the Congregation Children of Israel began the construction of the Telfair Street Temple. The cornerstone was laid in October 1869, by American Reform Founder Rev. Isaac M. Wise, who spoke to a large gathering after a parade that included both Jewish and city officials. That year, the local chapter of B’nai B’rith was formed.
In 1879, the Hebrew Ladies Aid Society, later Sisterhood, was founded at B’nai Israel and Adas Yeshurun Synagogue was founded in 1891. In the early 1950s, both Congregation Children of Israel and Augusta Adas Yeshurun Synagogue moved from downtown Augusta to their current locations. In recent years Chabad opened a Chabad House in 1996. The Aiken, SC permanent Jewish community dates back to 1890 and the Classical Revival Aiken Adath Yeshurun Synagogue was built in 1925.
The history of Jews in the Augusta area is extensively evidenced and described at the Augusta Jewish Museum and in its collection.
Jewish Settlement in the CSRA Happyville Jewish Community (near Aiken SC) (1905-1908)
Jewish Settlement in the CSRA began with Isaac Henricks in 1802 but settlers scattered around the area in towns such as Aiken, Edgefield, Langley, North Augusta, Williston, Waynesboro, Augusta, and Thomson. One of these short-lived settlements was named Happyville near Aiken SC:
Charles Weintraub and Morris Letterman purchased Sheffield Plantation in Montmorenci near Aiken and ten Jewish families moved there in December 1905, determined to establish a successful farming colony. The charter for their “Incorporative Farming Association,” sponsored by the US Dept of Agriculture and Immigration, was popularly known as “Happyville,” and the settlers declared their intention to raise stock, grow cotton, fruits, and vegetables, gin cotton, cut timber, saw lumber, and grind grain. Fifteen more Jews joined the original group in early 1906. The colony faced insurmountable challenges including bad weather, insufficient funds, and land unsuitable for farming. By July 1908, they had sold the land to the Surasky family and dispersed. Members of the Surasky family still reside in Aiken County.
(Founding Donors are donors from 2019 and prior.)
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Non-profit Status
Our organization is a tax-exempt, qualified charitable organization under the requirements of Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3). The Augusta Jewish Museum is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Code section 170. The Augusta Jewish Museum complies with IRS regulations for public inspection and disclosure of certain organization documents.
Please direct your inquiries by mail to:
Augusta Jewish Museum
PO Box 14279
Augusta, Ga 30919
Many thanks to these annual sponsors who support the mission of the Augusta Jewish Museum.
KAMO Manufacturing Company
Ruben’s Department Store
Peter Knox
Nelson A. Danish
Indigo Honor Society
Sidney’s Department Store
Beasley Media Group
AU Guard House Museum
Lucy Craft Laney Museum
Lynn Steinberg Redd
Ron & Judy Altman
Pat Knox-Hudson
Sumner & Joan Fishbein
Joseph Samuels
Brever Investments
Tina & Jack Weinstein
Annis Family Fund
Beth & Jeff Annis
Jackie & Michael Cohen
Law Offices of Nathan M. Jolles
Congregation Children of Israel
Adas Yeshurun Synagogue
Rachel Ray
Brick Memorial
Victoria Bedder
Lee Ann Caldwell
Jay & Nancy Conison
Meryl & David Alalof
Jean and Warren Umansky
