A Different Religion

Last Monday, I had the chance of taking a journey through a different religion, the Jewish religion, and learned some pretty interesting facts! as well as a couple ghost stories, Boo!

My class and I walked up coming street to visit Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim's Jewish Cemetery. There we were met by two tour guides, Randi Serrens and Anita Moise. One thing I noticed right away before we even got into the cemetery was that it was enclosed in an area with a very tall wall all around the perimeter. The previous cemeteries we have been to have been enclosed with a iron gate where viewers on the outside can see into the cemetery, that was not the case at this one.

Anita Moise

I learned a lot from Anita who took us around the cemetery making stops at some of the most beautiful gravestones with wonderful stories behind them. During our tour Anita stated, "The first group of Jews to come to Charleston were called Sephardic Jews The term originates from Sepharad Spain or the Iberian Peninsula.

Jacob Lazarus (1794-1870)

This is an Obelisk belonging to Jacob Lazarus who was President of the congregation during his lifetime.

die on socket with drapery

The picture to the right is a die on socket that belongs to the Mouse family. Our tour guide Anita told us that, "the drapery symbolizes a women's modesty."

Israel and Robert

The picture above displays two headstones that were built together. To summarize the story behind this grave, Israel and Robert were two cousins who passed at a very young age. The cause of these little boys deaths was yellow fever. 

Hartwig Cohen (Ledger close up)

The photo above is a close up of a ledger belonging to Hartwig Cohen. According to Anita, "Hartwig Cohen was the Rabbi of Beth Elohim." As you can see in the picture, there are some stones that have been placed onto the ledger. Anita told us that this is a common practice in the Jewish religion to pay respects for the dead by leaving stones.