Jewish Life

Front: Summerville became a renowned health resort in the late 1800s. Many Jewish merchants, drawn to the bustling settlement, set up shop in Hutchinson Square. Among the first were Philip Wineman, a pharmacist from England, and Saul Alexander, a tailor from Ukraine. On Short Central Samuel Lynch and his son, Seymour, became major property and business owners. Twentieth-century stores included Kramer’s Pharmacy, Barshay’s, Seymour’s, and Wolper’s Dorchester Jewelers. Reverse: Among other Jewish family names in Summerville were Lazarus, Bernstein, Meyers, Epstein, Bornstein, Mirmow, and Friedberg. Seymour’s, one of the last remaining Jewish-owned stores in town, closed in 1997. In the second half of the 20th century descendants of Jewish merchants moved to larger cities, but their legacy endures. The Saul Alexander Foundation has funded parks in the town as well as cultural and educational organizations in the Lowcountry.