Kosher and Jewish Life in Athens

The first Jews who settled in Athens arrived in the years before the Civil War. They came from Filehne, in the Posen area of Prussia. Moses Myers, born in Filehne in 1833, founded a dry goods business in Athens in 1858. Following the war, a growing number of Jews settled in Athens seeking economic opportunity. As their numbers grew, the Jewish merchants began to worship together and a Jewish community coalesced. They first met in Robert Bloomfield’s blacksmith shop. The Athens Jewish community grew in the early 20th century, reaching 185 Jews by 1927, as a new generation of Jewish businessmen came to Athens. In 1972, three Orthodox Jews organized a small minyan. At first, they met in homes and then, later, in the Hillel building at the University of Georgia. Today, the Athens Jewish community is thriving, with Children of Israel at a historical peak in membership. With an increasing number of Jews being drawn to this quaint college town, the community looks likely to continue its growth.