Enhancing the Quality of Jewish Life in Savannah, Georgia

Our Jewish Community

Schools | Synagogues | Agencies

Schools

Shalom School
http://www.theshalomschool.com Shalom School is a supplemental religious school jointly sponsored by Congregations Mickve Israel and Agudath Achim, with the goal of foster the Jewish education of the children in their communities.

The religious education provided by Shalom School is a partnership between the family, the School and the synagogues, intended to reinforce the Jewish experience children receive in their homes.

Shalom School endeavors to: inspire in its students the love of God and Jewish values; teach the observance of celebrations and commemorations of Jewish life and history; provide opportunities for ethical action; teach Hebrew, the language of classical Jewish prayer; instill a sense of identification with the Jewish people through knowledge of its classical texts and history and a desire for its welfare and survival; and instill understanding, appreciation and respect for the diversity of Jewish life.

Rambam Day School
http://www.rambamdayschool.org Rambam Day School is unique in the opportunities that it offers to our Jewish children. It has a dual program of secular and Judaic education. Both programs afford children an experience in understanding the part they each play in their heritage and their role in society.

Rambam students perform at the highest level of achievement. They are applauded when this goal is reached and encouraged when they fall short of their own ability. Rambam students are a family, therefore the success of one is shared by all, and the need to be encouraged is sensed by all.

A student once expressed most profoundly the essence of RDS: Rambam is a community school whereby anyone, from any background, can join our "family" and feel at home. Indeed this is the school philosophy -- every Jewish child has a place not only in the hearts of our faculty, but in the fiber of what makes Rambam unique.

Hebrew Community School
A combination of small classroom and individual tutoring, this school of the B’nai B’rith Jacob provides an excellent Hebrew education for children who are of kindergarten age and up through pre-Bar and Bas Mitzvah age to learn to be a part of the Jewish people and understand who they are. Classes are held on Sunday from 10:00 am until 11:45 am. On Monday and Wednesday, the classes are held at 3:45 pm until 5:30 pm. More information can be obtained by calling the school office during school time at the B.B. Jacob Synagogue at 354-7721.
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Synagogues

Bnai Brith Jacob Congregation
Rabbi Avigdor Slatus
5444 Abercorn Street
Savannah, GA 31405
Phone: 912-354-7721
Fax: 912-354-9923
Email: bbjsynagogue@bellsouth.net

Congregation Agudath Achim
Rabbi Kenneth Leitner
9 Lee Blvd
Savannah, GA 31405
Phone: 912-352-4737
Fax: 912-352-3477
Email: agudatha@aol.com

Congregation Mickve Israel
Rabbi Arnold Mark Belzer
20 East Gordon Street
Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: 912-233-1547
Fax: 912-233-3086

Agudath Achim
Congregation Agudath Achim, seeks to create a unique atmosphere which combines the best of community and spirituality. Members daven with intensity, and there are opportunities for learning, every day. Members strive to respect each other and refrain from lashon hara.

“The AA,” a philosophy is that fund raising should not come before family raising, Judaism of the heart can also be a Judaism of the mind. We believe that our role as Jews to rise up in holiness, to constantly intensify our Jewish involvement.

At “the AA,” we share the classic rabbinic attitude which combines tradition with change, and principle with pluralism. We neither abandon our tradition nor rigidly conform to it. We do not allow our beliefs to interfere with our ahavat yisrael, our love for the people and land of Israel. Above all else, derech eretz menschbkeit, decency and humanity, are the principles we wish to embody.

At “the AA,” In a word, we aren’t just a congregation. We’re a mishpachah.

Mickve Israel
Congregation Mickve Israel was founded by 42 Jews who arrived in Savannah in the new colony of Georgia, in 1733. Having left London, England, the brave band of mostly Portuguese Jews sought freedom and opportunity in the New World. Worship was facilitated by the fact that more than a Minyan was immediately available and a Torah was carried by the settlers to their new home in Georgia. In 1790 the congregation was granted a charter from the State of Georgia, confirming it the third oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. Mickve Israel remains today an active spiritual community, affiliated with the Reform movement in Judaism. The Torah brought to Savannah in 1733, and other cherished possessions of the congregation are on display in Mickve Israel’s Museum. The Gothic synagogue, which stands on Monterey Square, was dedicated in 1878.

B’nai Brith Jacob
Congregation B’nai Brith Jacob was established in 1860. Its membership is of diverse backgrounds who seek the beauty of Jewish traditions and practices from time immemorial. There are daily services three times a day, Shabbos and Holiday services held in a magnificent Sanctuary. We offer many opportunities for adult education, with classes for beginners in the Five Books of Moses, Basic Judaism through Talmud and Jewish Law (Halacha).

The afternoon Hebrew School provides an excellent education in the basics of Jewish traditions and Holidays. Children are prepared for their Bar/Bas Mitzvah and to appreciate their heritage. The Brotherhood and Sisterhood organizations provide family celebrations as well as periodic Friday night Shabbos family dinners. Youth can join the National Council of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) and enjoy the many activities designed especially for them.

The Congregation benefits from the continuing educational opportunities offered by the Savannah Kollel young Rabbis who engage in outreach to individuals of all backgrounds. The warmth of the BBJ Congregational family can be sensed every Shabbos which is crowned with a beautiful Kiddush at the conclusion of services.
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Agencies

SCAD Hillel
The Hillel chapter at the Savannah College of Art and Design is new and growing. Established in early 2002, the group has about two dozen active members and two dozen more who have expressed interest. This includes both undergraduate and graduate students, men and women from many different majors and from all over the country as well as abroad. For more information, or to be added to the email list, contact Hillel@scad.edu

Savannah Chamber of Commerce

Other Organizations Active In Savannah
  • AIPAC
  • BBYO-B’nai Brith Youth Organization Dixie Council Region
  • Chevra Kadisha Burial Societies
  • Hadassah
  • Savannah Jewish Archives
  • JEA Men’s Club
  • JEA Kibbitzers
  • Buckingham South Retirement Facility
  • Jewish Family Services of the Federation
  • Jewish Community Foundation of the Savannah Federation
  • MorningStar Cultural Arts
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Our Jewish Community | Synagogues | Agencies | Schools