Temple Sinai

National Register Listing

Street Address:

11 Church St., Sumter, SC (Sumter County)

Alternate Name:

Congregation Sinai

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817743026

Description and Narrative:

Temple Sinai is a significant example of a sanctuary designed in the Moorish Revival style. It is also a visible symbol and tangible reminder of the substantial and influential Jewish community in Sumter from the early nineteenth century to the present. As the center of that community, its impact and influence were widespread. Outside the coastal cities of Charleston and Georgetown, where there were well-established and significant Jewish populations dating to colonial days, Sumter’s Jewish community was one of inland South Carolina’s largest. Congregation Sinai grew out of the formation of several societies in Sumter in the mid-nineteenth century. By 1895, the Sumter Hebrew Benevolent Society and the Sumter Society of Israelites merged under the name of the Sumter Society of Israelites. Between 1895 and 1904, the society purchased a lot on the corner of Church Street and West Hampton Avenue as the site for a synagogue. By 1906, the congregation had constructed a wood-frame building. The second, and present, brick sanctuary was built ca. 1910-17. Listed in the National Register January 21, 1999.

Period of Significance:

1912 – 1913;1932

Level of Significance:

Local

Area of Significance:

Religion;Architecture

National Register Determination:

listed

Date of Certification:

January 21 1999

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