Isn’t it amazing that we could have items that survived the overwhelming destruction of an event like World War II? It was such a dark period, claiming the lives of an astonishing 3 percent of the world’s population at the time. When the war finally ended and we began hearing from survivors, we heard fascinating stories and learned much about remarkable things that were happening amidst shocking levels of brutality. One chapter of those stories is being told in one of the best museums in South Carolina that’s truly a hidden gem and an absolutely delightful experience.

Temple Sinai, located on Church Street, is a part of the Sumter County Museum, which is located not even a block away on North Washington Street which runs parallel to Church Street. It's the home of both Congregation Sinai and the Jewish History Center, while functioning as the center for Jewish life in Sumter. It's also a part of the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1972, one of 1,564 Torah scrolls that survived the Nazi invasion of the Czech Republic during World War II arrived at this incredible museum as a part of the Memorial Scrolls Trust, which was tasked with allocating Czech scrolls to synagogues and organizations around the world. The scrolls are on loan to these locations to serve as silent witnesses to the lost communities of Bohemia and Moravia and all who perished in the Shoah.

The scroll on the right is Memorial Scrolls Trust #848. Each scroll was restored and numbered.

There are a couple of other Memorial Scrolls Trust scrolls in South Carolina, including this one, which was loaned to Synagogue Emanu-el in Charleston.

Learn more of the fascinating story of these scrolls:

Also inside Temple Sinai are 11 gorgeous stained glass windows, each depicting a scene from the Hebrew bible, the Tanakh. These windows were handmade in 1912 when the temple was built.

In this image, the window on the far left shows Moses overlooking the Promised Land, the middle window reflects the Ten Commandments being brought down by Moses from the mountain where God gave them to him, and the window on the far right pictures Moses in the fields watching over a flock of sheep when God called to him from a burning bush.

The windows each have a quote from the Tanakh passage where the particular scene is described.

The building next to the temple structure houses the Jewish History Center, created by the members of Congregation Sinai in partnership with the museum in Sumter to preserve the rich and important history of Judaism in general and in Sumter, as well as Holocaust history.

The exhibits are very well done and full of valuable and intriguing information. Pictured here is a Mezuzah, which is a tiny scroll with words from a biblical passage in Deuteronomy, the fifth of the Five Books of Moses. The Mezuzah is traditionally affixed to all doorposts of the house to signify the covenant between God and the Jewish people.

There's a display in the center featuring the Passover practices of Judaism.

Several displays are devoted to Holocaust history, a sobering reminder of the horrors that led to World War II.

In some places, you'll find ways to get more information and to continue learning once you're finished here.

A couple of the displays include phones you can pick up to hear music or a story. It's a very interactive experience, wonderful for all ages and a top museum helpful for conveying such a difficult history lesson, especially to children.

One particularly moving area at the center is the butterfly exhibit, a wall where colorful butterflies have been placed in memory of a specific child from the Holocaust era. The poem on the wall, "The Butterfly," was written by Pavel Friedmann while he was at the Terezin ghetto. He later died in Auschwitz.

Center guests can request to add a butterfly to the wall if they would like to participate.

Outside the center by the small parking area you'll find the People’s Holocaust Memorial of Sumter, which was sponsored by the Sumter Ministerial Association, an organization of local clergy, in 1984.

The other side of the black and white granite memorial lists the names of major concentration camps as well as biblical quotations. A tremendous community effort, local churches and individuals raised $12,000 to construct the memorial.

Visit the Temple Sinai website and the Temple Sinai Jewish History Center Facebook page for much more information, including links to further explore the Memorial Scrolls Trust and updates. On August 17, 2023, there will be a special, temporary exhibit further detailing the journey of Scroll #848. Visit the Sumter County Museum website for additional details.

Did you know about Temple Sinai at one of the best museums in South Carolina and that it holds such an extraordinary historic treasure?

Gorgeous natural attractions in Sumter are also worthy of checking out, so you could easily spend a chunk of time exploring this neat little corner of South Carolina!