About

About us

Welcome!

Our Adath Yeshurun Synagogue is a Reform Jewish Congregation (member of the URJ, the Union for Reform Judaism), whose culture is one of caring and inclusiveness. We enjoy visitors to our synagogue and welcome interfaith couples to our congregation. We invite non-Jewish spouses to attend and join in our services and programs, so that each couple and family can feel active and involved in our congregation. We particularly encourage students of our local university to join us during the High Holidays to give them an opportunity to worship when they are far from home.


By being a member of our synagogue, you contribute to the community that Adath Yeshurun creates. You help provide the very tangible support needed to carry out the synagogue's mission.


Welcome!

Our Adath Yeshurun Synagogue is a Reform Jewish Congregation (member of the URJ, the Union for Reform Judaism), whose culture is one of caring and inclusiveness. We enjoy visitors to our synagogue and welcome interfaith couples to our congregation. We invite non-Jewish spouses to attend and join in our services and programs, so that each couple and family can feel active and involved in our congregation. We particularly encourage students of our local university to join us during the High Holidays to give them an opportunity to worship when they are far from home.


By being a member of our synagogue, you contribute to the community that Adath Yeshurun creates. You help provide the very tangible support needed to carry out the synagogue's mission.


1

Our Values

Our values reflect a commitment to the ideals embraced by the Reform tradition – the historic, liberal expression of Judaism in America.

2

Our Mission

We seek to keep the flame of Jewish life alive in this small Southern town while actively contributing to the broader Aiken community.

Our Reform Synagogue

Our Synagogue building is located at 154 Greenville St NW, Aiken, SC. (corner of Greenville S & Barnwell Ave) in the heart of historic downtown Aiken. Our beautiful Synagogue was completed in 1925 and has remained in its original state, except for upgrades to major utilities. The congregation was chartered by the State of South Carolina in 1921 and operated originally as an Orthodox congregation before shifting to embrace Reform Judaism in the 1970s. 


Reform Judaism affirms the central tenets of Judaism - God, Torah, and Israel - even as it acknowledges the diversity of Reform Jewish beliefs and practices. We believe that all human beings are created in the image of God, and that we are God’s partners in improving the world. Tikkun olam — repairing the world — is a hallmark of Reform Judaism as we strive to bring peace, freedom, and justice to all people.

Reform Jews accept the Torah as the foundation of Jewish life containing God’s ongoing revelation to our people and the record of our people’s ongoing relationship with God. We see the Torah as God inspired, a living document that enables us to confront the timeless and timely challenges of our everyday lives.

Our Reform Synagogue

Our Synagogue building is located at 154 Greenville St NW, Aiken, SC. (corner of Greenville S & Barnwell Ave) in the heart of historic downtown Aiken. Our beautiful Synagogue was completed in 1925 and has remained in its original state, except for upgrades to major utilities. The congregation was chartered by the State of South Carolina in 1921 and operated originally as an Orthodox congregation before shifting to embrace Reform Judaism in the 1970s. 


Reform Judaism affirms the central tenets of Judaism - God, Torah, and Israel - even as it acknowledges the diversity of Reform Jewish beliefs and practices. We believe that all human beings are created in the image of God, and that we are God’s partners in improving the world. Tikkun olam — repairing the world — is a hallmark of Reform Judaism as we strive to bring peace, freedom, and justice to all people.

Reform Jews accept the Torah as the foundation of Jewish life containing God’s ongoing revelation to our people and the record of our people’s ongoing relationship with God. We see the Torah as God inspired, a living document that enables us to confront the timeless and timely challenges of our everyday lives.

Our Leadership

Our volunteer leadership is drawn from our congregation and provides a diversity of expertise and experience to guide our community.   

Steve Silver, President

Steve and his wife Nancy moved to Aiken in 2015 attracted by the history and natural beauty of the town as well as its diverse set of equestrian activities. They were pleased to find there was a long-standing Jewish community here.  Steve joined the Synagogue in 2016 and played a lead role in developing the Synagogue's 100th-anniversary celebrations. He became President of the Synagogue in 2022. He also serves on the Boards of the Aiken Land Conservancy and the Friends of the Aiken Railroad Depot.  

Michael Sasnow, Board Member & Religious Chair

Michael is a Board member and Religious Chair of Adath Yeshurun Synagogue. He first joined the Synagogue in 2020, after he and his wife, Wendy Russell, moved to Aiken from Portland, OR. Michael plays guitar and harp and has been a musical lay leader for the past 20 years. He studies and played music with Rabbi Aryeh Hirschfield Z"L (a student of Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi Z"L) in Portland. Michael is our Synagogue's representative on the Board of the Augusta Jewish Federation. He is also a member of Aiken Interfaith Partners.

Howard Katz, Board Member & Lay Leader

Howard is a Board member and lay leader at the Synagogue. He first joined the Synagogue in 2012 after he moved here to take a position at the Savannah River site. He became a lay leader in 2013. He briefly left Aiken but returned in 2022 to take a new position at the Savannah River site, rejoining the Synagogue and strengthening our religious leadership. Howard is also a representative of the Synagogue to the Carolina Small Congregations Initiative which develops joint programming for the benefit of our congregation (as well as 25 other small congregations across North and South Carolina). He is married and has two children. 

Della Hertzberg, Sisterhood Co-Chair

Della has been a member of Adath Yeshurun Synagogue since 2005. She currently serves as a co-president of the Sisterhood and an ex officio member of the Synagogue Board - where she plays an important role in organizing oneg services as well as helping organize a range of Synagogue events. She has played a lead role in organizing our 100th-anniversary celebrations as well as projects to improve our infrastructure, including the acquisition of new siddurs and renovations to the kitchen. 

Stephen Surasky, Board Member and Past President

Stephen was born and grew up in Aiken to a family that was one of the founders of our Synagogue. His family came to Aiken in the late 1890s and were important merchants and civic leaders here. Stephen served as President of the Synagogue twice (from 1986 - 1991 & 2015 - 2018) and currently serves on the Board as a Trustee. Stephen continues to practice law in Aiken and is actively involved in the broader Aiken community, having served on Aiken City Council in the 1980s.  He is married and has two adult children.

Peggy Blackman, Board Member

Peggy grew up in Cincinnati (she likes to say in "her formative years") and moved to Aiken in 2018, joining the Synagogue soon thereafter. Peggy joined the Board in 2021, where she oversees our email communications efforts. She was instrumental in developing our database of email contact information for members and friends of the Synagogue. In addition to those lists, she assisted in developing additional community and state-wide lists that were used to support our 100th-anniversary celebrations. Peggy now uses our member and friends contact databases to share updates and reminders about upcoming religious services and other Synagogue events - while also coordinating the development of our Synagogue newsletter.

Nancy Leibstein, Board Member and Treasurer

Nancy joined the Adath Yeshurun Synagogue in 2015 after she moved to Aiken from West Islip, NY. She joined the Board in 2021 and currently serves as Treasurer of the Synagogue - helping ensure our small congregation is run efficiently. In this role, she also  is often the primary point of contact for prospective new members thinking of joining the Synagogue.

Anne Witebsky, Board Member & Secretary

Anne has been a member of Adath Yeshurun Synagogue since 1998. She is a long-time member of the Board and currently serves as its Secretary. Anne and her family play an important role in the routine maintenance of the Synagogue building & grounds as well as in organizing the food at holiday celebrations (e.g., Hanukkah, Passover) and other Synagogue events. She is married with two children. 

Tom Schulte, Board Member

Tom & his wife Linda have been members of the Adath Yeshurun Synagogue after moving from Los Angeles in 2006. Tom joined the Synagogue Board in 2010. He is a licensed electrician and oversees issues related to the maintenance of our historic building. He recently added new security cameras to the building and made important contributions to our kitchen renovation. His wife Linda is the Secretary of the 'Sisterhood' board since 2011.

Our History

There has been a permanent Jewish community in Aiken since the 1890's. 



Click on the link below to learn more about our history, including important contributions by our community to civic life here in Aiken and beyond.

Learn More About Our History
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