Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (Hebrew: קהל קדוש בית אלוהים, lit. 'Holy Congregation House of God', also known as K. K. Beth Elohim, or more simply Congregation Beth Elohim) is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located in Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States.
| Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim | |
|---|---|
Hebrew: קהל קדוש בית אלוהים | |
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim synagogue, 1938 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership |
|
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 90 Hasell Street, Charleston, South Carolina |
| Country | United States |
Location in South Carolina | |
| Geographic coordinates | 32°46′56″N 79°55′58″W |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Cyrus L. Warner |
| Type | Synagogue |
| Style | Greek Revival |
| General contractor | David Lopez Jr |
| Date established | 1749 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | South |
| Materials | Brick |
| Website | |
| kkbe | |
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002499 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 4, 1978 |
| Designated NHL | June 19, 1980 |
Having founded the congregation in 1749, it was later claimed to be the first Reform synagogue located in the United States. The congregation's first synagogue, in the Georgian Revival style, was built in 1793-94 and destroyed in an 1838 fire that ravished Charleston's central business district, impacting 500 properties over approximately 150 acres (61 ha). The current architecturally significant Greek Revival synagogue located at 90 Hasell Street, completed in 1840, was designed by Cyrus L. Warner and built by enslaved African descendants owned by David Lopez Jr, a prominent slaveowner and proponent of the Confederate States of America.
The congregation is one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the United States. The congregation is nationally significant as the place where ideas resembling Reform Judaism were first evinced.