Sephardic Charleston: Aliens and Patriots in a British Colony

Charleston, South Carolina emerged in the 18th century as a prominent node in the Sephardic Atlantic world, serving as a communal and economic center for many Spanish-Portuguese Jews who established their congregation, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, in 1749. The Da Costa, Lazarus, Cardozo, and Peixotto families are some of the identifiably Sephardic names that were well known to 19th-century Charlestonians of all kinds for their economic, political, civic, and even criminal contributions to the Holy City. Nevertheless, a diversifying Jewish population, religious reforms, and the aftermath of the Civil War led to the virtual disappearance of Sephardic influence and presence in Charleston by the turn of the twentieth century.

About the speaker

Max Modiano Daniel is the public historian and Jewish Heritage Collection coordinator at the College of Charleston, where he teaches in Jewish Studies. He received his PhD in history from UCLA in 2022. His research interests include Sephardi/Mizrahi…