Adas Yeshurun Synagogue (Augusta, Ga.) Records

In 1889 five Orthodox Jewish families residing in Augusta, Georgia formed a minyan that was the origin of Adas Yeshurun Synagogue. The families belonged to J. Edelstein, Morris Steinberg, Isadore Fromberg, Abram Shapiro and J. M. Frank. They were know as “Mr. Steinberg’s Minyan” and met over a drugstore on the 1000 block of Broad Street. Later that year, Abram G. Poliakoff, a shochet, was brought to the city, to administer to all the religious needs of the Orthodox Jewish community, with a population of about 100, and included about eighty men. In 1890, the men who kept the Sabbath felt they could not participate in minyan with men whose businesses were open on that holy day, so they formed another minyan. In 1891, a third minyan was formed. In 1891, the three minyans merged. On October 9, 1891, H. C. Rooney, Judge of the Superior Court of Richmond County, Georgia, granted a corporate charter to Morris Steinberg, Bernard Holatsky, Morris Coffsky, Isadore Fromberg, S. Aaron Bulkovstein, Lesser Steinberg, Benjamin Grunglos, Abram Shapiro, Sam Steinberg, Aaron Steinberg, Solomon Wigodsky, and Mandel Sawilowsky, to be incorporated under the name of the Society Adash Jershurien. Significantly, the petition for a charter did not give religious purposes as a reason for corporation, but “… for mutual benefit and pleasure and to assist in charitable work.” In 1902 the congregation split again because some of the members felt there was a need for another shochet. After 3 or 4 years, the two congregations came together again. In 1909, Mrs. Henry Levkoff organized the Daughters of Israel. Today it functions as the Sisterhood of the Synagogue. By 1945 the congregation had outgrown their synagogue; Rabbi Goldberger enlisted William Estroff to take leadership in the building of a new synagogue. Due to the untimely deaths of William Estroff and Rabbi Goldberger, the ground of the new synagogue was not broken until 1953. Adas Yeshurun Synagogue offers a wide range of activities and services. Some of these include: daily shacharit, mincha and maariv services, two strictly kosher kitchens, a beautiful building including a traditional chapel and sanctuary, banquet hall, religious school, bar/bat mitzvah training, sisterhood, men's club, gift shop, weekly programming for teenagers, adult education, newly renovated mikvah, a private cemetery, weekly shalosh seudos services and meal, and family events.