Benjamin Berendt and Anna Gelson Berendt papers

Benjamin Berendt (1912-2010) was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to Isaac and Mary Berendt, who immigrated to New York in 1871 from Konin, Poland.

Benjamin Berendt attended Charleston High School, was an active member of AZA (Aleph Zadik Aleph) Chapter 143, and studied history at the College of Charleston, where he graduated in 1935. Berendt became a partner of Berendt Brothers, Inc. and traveled throughout the Carolinas and Georgia selling wholesale shoes, handbags, and other leather goods.

Anna Gelson (1913-2001) was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, to Louis and Zelda Gelson. The family moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and spent a brief period on Yonges Island following Louis Gelson's death. They eventually returned to Charleston and opened a grocery store at 572 Meeting Street.

Gelson and Berendt were married in 1940. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Benjamin Berendt enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a shore patrol officer in the South Pacific. Anna Berendt worked as a civilian employee at the North Charleston naval base, where she handled purchase requisitions for naval supplies. After the war, Benjamin Berendt continued his work as a salesman. The Berendts were members of Charleston's Brith Sholom Beth Israel, and Anna was active in the Charleston chapter of Hadassah and the National Council of Jewish Women. She also served as an advisor for B'nai B'rith Girls (sister organization to AZA) and was an avid writer.