The Jewish community in the Upstate may be small, but a 78-year-old organization and its first CEO are trying to ensure that individuals can unify around a common identity and culture.
Courtney Tessler has been CEO of the Greenville Jewish Federation only since May of 2023. But throughout its history, the organization’s goal has been to offer programs and services in the Upstate that provide education and support and foster pride, she says.
“We strive to be a connector, a unifier and a foundation for the Jewish community,” she explains.
“We want to help cultivate Jewish identity and have people find their people, whatever that looks like for them – meeting people where they are with their Judaism instead of asking them to conform. We don't know what the community needs unless we ask.”
For her first few months on the job, Tessler says she worked in the community to rebuild relationships and establish new relationships for what had been an all-volunteer organization.
“And then,” she says, “Oct. 7 happened.”
Over 1,400 people were killed or taken hostage across Israel that day during brutal attacks by the terrorist organization Hamas.
“Oct. 7 changed a lot for a lot of people. Though tragic, it created an opportunity for our community to come together in a profound way for the first time in a very, very long time,” Tessler says.
More than 300 people met in Greenville at a peaceful candlelight gathering led by all three of the community’s rabbis “to share our emotion and bring light,” she says.
“The commitment was strong to show our support and be united, and that's what it did.”
The late Max Heller was a founding member of the Greenville Jewish Federation in 1946. He would become mayor of Greenville in the 1970s. But when he arrived – after the invasion of his native Austria by Nazi Germany – he was one of fewer than 200 Jewish residents in Greenville, according to the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities. By 1960, the number had grown to about 600.
Almost 27,000 Jewish people live in South Carolina today, which is 0.5% of the state's total population of 5.3 million, according to the Jewish Federations of South Carolina.
“Many people in our region have never met a Jewish person. Yet we may live in the same neighborhoods and work at the same companies, and our children may share the same classrooms,” says Tessler, who has lived in the Upstate since 1995.
Jewish people who move to the South may find the culture challenging, especially if they've come from predominantly Jewish areas like Miami or New York, Tessler says.
“When you have had a Jewish experience most of your life, and you come to the Upstate, all the things that have been easy to find are no longer easy to find. There is no kosher restaurant or kosher kitchen,” she says.
“It can be hard for people to assimilate because they don’t have obvious Jewish culture and identity surrounding them.”
The federation fosters Jewish identity from infancy through middle school with a longtime program called PJ Library, where books about Jewish culture and identity are sent each month to families who subscribe.
Programs are available for teens. A group created for and led by 20- to 30-year-olds is gaining traction.
“Teens might take part in an activity, interact with senior citizens, or participate in an annual essay contest. Young professionals gather for the occasional Shabbat dinner, or an evening out,” Tessler says.
Jewish Family Services, the federation’s newest program, is facilitated by a social worker who can provide information and resources, though financial assistance is not available.
“Going forward, a big focus for our Jewish Family Services will be on our senior community. The number of seniors is expanding, and people are living longer, and their needs are lasting longer,” Tessler says.
Before Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, families from across the Upstate will gather to pick applies. (Dipping apples in honey is a traditional part of the holiday observance.)
The federation also creates and supplies Hanukkah kits to Jewish families so that they can share the holiday with their children’s classmates – who may take a dreidel, and their experience, home.
However, the Greenville Jewish Federation is not a religious institution.
“We're a humanitarian organization,” Tessler says.
“Religious congregations are where people can attend services and see their rabbi. The federation is about bridging the gap, bringing together people from all congregations and those who don't participate in religious practices.”
Many people in the community are secular, Tessler says. “It’s cultural. Some turn to their Jewish identity because of their ancestry. Jewish identity is not exclusively religious.”
Fighting antisemitism with education remains a priority, she says.
“Fortunately, we have not experienced the violent attacks that many larger communities have seen. It's been mostly the same – slightly increased – antisemitism we've faced for a long time … inadvertent antisemitism that can be overcome through education,” Tessler says.
“We fight antisemitism by being seen, bringing awareness to misinformation, and educating about history. By being good neighbors and being a good organization in our community, we build goodwill and help change perceptions.”
A goal shared by the Greenville Jewish Federation, and organizations and individuals who support other minority groups, is to prevail upon elected officials to pass hate crime legislation, Tessler says.
South Carolina recognizes the definition of antisemitism. “That’s great, but it means absolutely nothing unless there's a law to apply it to,” she says.
Only the FBI and organizations like the Secure Communities Network track hate-related crimes in South Carolina, Tessler says. “With no laws, there is no tracking by the state. And with no tracking, many legislators would have you believe we have no hate here.”
Partnerships are key, Tessler says. “Our Jewish population may be small, but by working together with our congregations, Jewish organizations across the state, and even across the country, we can support those here in the Upstate.
“We love where we are. We have great neighbors and great supporters inside and outside the Jewish community. We want to be part of the greater community in a positive way.”
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