When I took a trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina, to visit my grandma, I hardly expected to garner any blog material. But as luck would have it, I found some interesting subject matter about 45 minutes south of Hilton Head: Savannah sits on the South Carolina-Georgia border, a charming town that is full of history.
My grandma is particularly fond of The Historic Savannah Theater, so one night she took me there for a show. On the drive down, she informed me about Savannah’s Jewish community. It has deep roots, hosting the third oldest Jewish congregation in America, called Mickve Israel. Founded in 1733, Mickve Israel was created when Sephardic Jews of Portuguese descent first arrived in Georgia, which at that time was still a colony (for a comprehensive history, click here).
When we passed the Mickve Israel synagogue, its architecture struck me immediately. The arching windows and large, dome-topped steeple reminded me of European cathedrals. I am accustomed to seeing such external designs for churches, not Jewish temples. I later learned from their website that the synagogue, built in 1876, is “the only Gothic-style architecture synagogue in America.”
Mickve Israel is not mentioned in Ynet’s September list of the world’s most beautiful synagogues. Understandable, given that it faced stiff competition. However, I feel that the real beauty of Mickve Israel is in the diversity it represents. Its unique architecture and Southern flavor (their website says “Shalom y’all), highlights differences in North American Jewry. And for that, it truly is a gem.
