Congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Reform synagogue in Charleston, United States
Congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim is a single-story brick synagogue at 90 Hasell Street, its brick stuccoed and painted white to resemble stone blocks. Six fluted Doric columns, stucco over molded brick, carry a gabled pediment above the entrance, and an iron fence with a central gate stands in front. It was completed in 1840 to designs by Cyrus L. Warner.
Founded in 1749 by Sephardic Jews of Spanish and Portuguese origin who came from London, the congregation first worshipped in a Georgian Revival synagogue built in 1793–1794. That building burned in the 1838 fire that damaged about 500 properties across some 150 acres of central Charleston. The present synagogue, designed by Cyrus L. Warner and completed in 1840, was built by enslaved African descendants owned by David Lopez Jr.
Founded in 1749 by Sephardic Jews from London, the congregation first worshipped with Portuguese rituals; in 1824 Isaac Harby's Reformed Society of the Israelites pushed it toward reform. The name means "Holy Congregation House of God". Inside, a mural shows a Jewish Confederate soldier with a broken sword.
The synagogue stands at 90 Hasell Street, its six-column portico and iron fence facing the street; the entrance is up the broad stone steps. It remains an active Reform congregation, so visits depend on services and staff availability rather than fixed museum hours. The 2021 monument at the site can be seen from outside.
The 2021 monument at the site records the forced labor of Black Africans owned by David Lopez Jr., the industrialist and slaveowner who built the synagogue. Rabbi Stephanie Alexander called the acknowledgment a way of being "honest and transparent" about what made the congregation's home possible. Inside, a mural shows a Jewish Confederate soldier seated with a broken sword.
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