Hurricane Hugo, 1989-1990

Records of Synagogue Emanu El, the first conservative synagogue of Charleston, South Carolina. Materials document the administrative, social, educational, and spiritual activities of the congregation and its members. Records contain administrative files, minutes, membership records, bulletins, High Holidays booklets, printed materials, event files, photographs, photograph albums, scrapbooks, and textiles. Also included are the records of the Sisterhood of Synagogue Emanu-El, arranged in subseries for administrative files, minutes, financial reports, statements and bills, yearbooks, High Holidays booklets, printed materials, scrapbooks, and religious school materials.

The congregation’s administrative files contain correspondence, financial information, photocopies of the original title to real estate and mortgage documents for the Gordon Street property, and governing documents including constitution, bylaws, rules, and policies, as well floor plans for the Windsor Drive synagogue. Minutes detail the deliberations of the Board of Trustees and Ritual Committee. Membership files include guestbooks, a membership ledger, and a members list. Bulletins published by Synagogue Emanu-El under various titles—Emanu-Light, The Weekly Sedra, The Bulletin, and The Scroll—are arranged chronologically. High Holidays booklets, mostly for Yom Kippur, contain honors and memorials to individuals and families associated with Synagogue Emanu-El. A variety of printed materials include an obituary file on Leon Steinberg, a biographical file on Reuben M. Greenberg, clippings regarding the congregation, brochures, and a synagogue choir book. Event files contain correspondence, brochures, fliers, service programs, newsletters, and invitations documenting activities held at Synagogue Emanu-El, including installation ceremonies for rabbis Lewis A. Weintraub (1947), Jordan I. Taxon (1964), and Alan L. Cohen (1979), the dedication ceremony for the new synagogue and the Esther Dumas Memorial Building on Gordon Street (1955), the ground breaking (1978) and dedication ceremony (1980) for the Windsor Drive synagogue, and a tribute dinner in honor of former Medical University of South Carolina president Raymond S. Greenberg. Assorted color and black and white photographs, negatives, and contact sheets document individuals, events, activities, and buildings associated with Synagogue Emanu-El throughout the congregation's history, including images of weddings, dedication ceremonies, families, children's performances, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Windsor Drive synagogue, Hurricane Hugo damage, anniversary celebrations, cantors and rabbis, dinner events, and the various places where the congregation has worshipped throughout its history. Photograph albums illustrate events such as the Emanu-El’s 25th “Silver” Anniversary at the Jewish Community Center. Scrapbooks, compiled by officials and members of the congregation, contain a wide variety of materials, including property records, correspondence, brochures, fliers, service programs, property records, bulletins, photographs, clippings, telegrams, invitations, and other printed materials. Organized chronologically, they document the activities and achievements of the congregation of the given year. Textiles include several yarmulkes and an embroidered tablecloth made for the Synagogue Emanu-El's 50th anniversary.

Materials relating to the Sisterhood of Synagogue Emanu-El are arranged in subseries: administrative files, minutes, financial reports, statements and bills, yearbooks, High Holidays booklets, printed materials, scrapbooks, and Religious School files. Administrative files contain correspondence, Sisterhood histories, membership forms, National Council of Jewish Women Charleston Section materials, and handbooks. Also included are minutes to Board of Trustees and Board of Education meetings. Financial reports provide insight into both Sisterhood and Synagogue Emanu-El activities. Also included are bank and investment statements and paid bills. Yearbooks provide contact information for staff, officers, and members. Also included are High Holidays booklets listing honors and memorials to individuals and families associated with the Sisterhood of Synagogue Emanu-El.