The First Female Ordained Rabbi: Regina Jonas By Jackie Brettschneider, Research Intern, Center for Jewish History As early as high school, Regina Jonas talked about becoming a rabbi. At the time not one woman was ordained to the position. Jonas’s pursuit came with many hardships and obstacles because she was a woman. Jonas, however, pursued ordination whole-heartedly because of her dedication to Jewish history,…
By Nicole Siegel, Research Intern and Graduate Student at Fordham University Click here for the first blog post on Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Charleston, South Carolina http://16thstreet.tumblr.com/post/123372636972/kahal-kadosh-beth-elohim-charleston-south With the destruction of the Georgian Synagogue of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE) in the fire of 1838, the congregation found it necessary to build a new structure, one that is still in use today. The rise…
Photos from the exhibit opening of Allied in the Fight: Jews, Blacks and the Struggle for Civil Rights Allied in the Fight: Jews, Blacks and the Struggle for Civil Rights is on view through October 09, 2015 A new exhibit on display in The David Berg Rare Book Room at the Center for Jewish History recounts the efforts made by American Jews and African…
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Charleston, South Carolina By Nicole Siegel, Research Intern and Graduate Student at Fordham University One of the oldest congregations in America, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE) of Charleston, South Carolina, dates back to 1749 and is currently the fourth oldest congregation in the United States. Â Originally a Sephardic Orthodox Congregation, the community quickly embraced the ideas of Reform Judaism, becoming…