Our HISTORY 

Our story begins in 1981, when a handful of families living on Hilton Head Island incorporated the Jewish Community Association and began holding regular Reform services in a local church.  By 1985 we became known as Congregation Beth Yam – the "House by the Sea." In 1986 and 1987 we raised funds beyond our initial expectations, purchased property on Main Street, and undertook plans for the construction of our building (free from the burden of a mortgage).  Finally, in 1989, ground was broken and on January 14, 1990, our sanctuary was consecrated and we became the first Jewish house of worship on Hilton Head.  Then in 2009, following expansion and renovation, we dedicated what is now our current house of worship and study.  The event was led by our current Rabbi, Brad Bloom, and was highlighted by installation of our Torahs in the Ark, a special service for the placement of our Holocaust Torah in its permanent display case, and a weekend of celebration attended not only by congregants, but by local dignitaries, civic and other faith based leaders.

Our Founding members moved to this area knowing that the nearest Jewish communities were in Beaufort and Savannah and that the local Jewish population was small.  But this did not deter them. What emerged from their pioneering efforts was a Reform synagogue that is egalitarian (welcoming to non-Jewish family members), inclusive and multi-generational, offering an encompassing range of supports, programs and services to meet the spiritual, educational, social and life-cycle needs of our congregants and of the broader Jewish community. 

As time went by, our congregation grew, attracting both permanent residents and affiliate members (those who reside elsewhere during a part of the year), drawing from Hilton Head and our neighboring off-island communities of Bluffton, Okatie,  and Southern Beaufort County.  Since our inception, Congregation Beth Yam has not only evolved as the only local synagogue with a full-time Rabbi committed to serving all congregants but as an established and respected member of the "Lowcountry Communities."