Kosher and Jewish Life in Charleston

South Carolina allowed Jews to practice their faith without restriction. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, founded in 1749 by Sephardic Jews from London, is the fourth-oldest Jewish congregation in the continental United States. In 1810 there were about 1,000 Jews in South Carolina, and most lived in Charleston. It was the largest Jewish population of any state at the time. Brith Sholom Beth Israel is the oldest Orthodox synagogue in the South, founded by Ashkenazi German and a Central European Jew, by the name Sam Berlin, in the mid-19th century. Charleston boasts an active Jewish community, including three Orthodox congregations, a Conservative synagogue and Reform temple. There are around 5,500 Jews living in Charleston There are one or two kosher places to eat, pus other places to buy kosher food.