Historic Savannah synagogue celebrates legacy as nation’s oldest southern congregation

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -Congregation Mickve Israel, located in the heart of Savannah’s historic district, was the first synagogue to be established in the south and is one of the nation’s oldest.

As congregants of Mickve Israel fill the sanctuary with song during Friday night Shabbat services, they’re continuing a Jewish tradition thousands of years old.

That tradition arrived in Savannah in 1733, just months after Georgia was founded, when a small group of Jewish refugees fled persecution in Portugal.

“They had been caught being crypto-Jews. That means they were pretending to be Christian, but they were really Jewish. They escaped to England. They didn’t quite fit in. So the oldest congregation in England, Bevis Marks, sponsored them to come to America with two German families,” said Rabbi Robert Haas of Congregation Mickve Israel.

The group arrived on July 11, 1733. The journey was deadly, many on board, including the ship’s doctor, did not survive. But one physician did.

“And he treated the king. And he treated the colony. And for that reason and others, Jews were given full rights in Georgia,” Haas said.

That made Georgia the only original colony to grant Jews full rights from the very beginning. Forty-one Jewish immigrants were welcomed, then the largest Jewish migration in history.

The congregation became known as Mickve Israel, meaning “Hope of Israel.”

“We brought the first Torah school to America, and later, the second,” Haas said.

Georgia founder James Oglethorpe’s vision played a key role. While the colony banned Catholics, alcohol dealers, slaves, and lawyers, Jews were never excluded.

“Nobody ever thought to say Jews weren’t allowed,” Haas said.

Jews were granted land, homes, and even required to serve in the militia, another historic first.

Fast forward nearly 300 years, and Jewish life in Savannah is still thriving. Mickve Israel is believed to be the only synagogue in America that operates as both a full-time house of worship and a full-time museum.

“We do both, which has really been an incredible opportunity. Not only for us, but for us to introduce Judaism to other people,” Haas said.

In the 1730s, Savannah even had a larger Jewish population than New York.

Today, the synagogue hosts events for every Jewish holiday, including the Shalom Y’all Jewish Food Festival, which brings the entire community together in celebration.

“Welcome to Savannah Jewry,” Haas said.

A place of worship, history, and community, Mickve Israel continues to keep tradition alive.