In recent years, the Historic Aiken Foundation has cited the efforts of community residents, presenting awards for preservation initiatives.
Adath Yeshurun Synagogue was presented with one of the six awards by Robert Stack, the foundation's vice president.
Last fall, the Jewish Historial Society of South Carolina released a publication devoted to the Jewish community of Aiken, including the Adath Yeshurun Synagogue.
The articles were written by longtime synagogue members still living in Aiken and others with strong ties - a Jewish community that began in the 1880s.
Those who arrived in the late 19th century had left Eastern Europe from such counties as Russia and Poland.
They were looking for freedom, for opportunities to take care of their families, said Stephen Surasky, the synagogue president and a descendant of the Surasky and Polier families.
Most were peddlers for some time, in addition to the Poliakoff, Kaplan, Wolf and Persky families, among others. They opened mercantile establishments in downtown Aiken and successfully emerged as strong supporters of the town.
Within the first decade of the 20th century, the families began raising funds for the synagogue. The building was chartered in 1921 and formally came into use a few years later - down the street from also-historic St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church.
For more than 90 years, Adath Yeshurun has provided religious services, social activities, weddings and bar and bat mitzvahs for young boys and girls coming of age in the religious life.
The synagogue has shown its age, and about two years ago, the members began working on the grounds, the downstairs social hall and the foundation. Only a handful of longtime members remain - among them Irene Rudnick, 85, an attorney and community activist who served as a school superintendent, a state legislator and synagogue president. More recent members - among them retirees new to Aiken - pitched in to get the work done.
"This had never been done before," Surasky said. "There's a lot of meaning in preserving the synagogue. There is a spirit to it."
Doris Baumgarten, an Aiken resident since 1977, serves as the informal historian. She often thinks about the bravery of the early founders, how they came to America with nothing and barely spoke the language. They celebrated the freedom they found to vote and educate their children.
Since the early 2000s, the children at that time have grown up and have left or are about to do so. As a result, Baumgarten said, "the Jewish community has a different focus now in sharing a goal with each other."
"As we continue to worship in Aiken," she said, "we are preserving our synagogue in the hope that (future) generations will carry on our Jewish traditions and continue to serve our community."
Elliott Levy and his wife, Dr. Marlene Groman - Adath Yeshurun members - moved to Aiken in 2006 and soon afterward, he was named the Aiken County Historical Museum director. He organized its treasures and brought many more residents and tourists to experience a wide range of activities. He is no stranger to historic buildings, having managed museums in Chicago and Maine.
Levy, too, found the synagogue in need of work.
"There's nothing ostentatious," Levy said. "It's like 'wow,' that this is a friendly, warm and inviting place. There has been a rich heritage here for many years."
Anne Witebsky and her husband, Lyn Henagan, moved to Aiken in the mid-1990s, joining the synagogue in 1998 with their two children. She spent a lot of time exploring the needs of the synagogue, and with many improvements completed, she too expects the building will continue to thrive well into the future.
"The award was something that went to the entire synagogue," Witebsky said. "Everyone worked together one way or another. Everyone did their part."
Senior writer Rob Novit is the Aiken Standard's education reporter and has been with the newspaper since September 2001. He is a native of Walterboro and majored in journalism at the University of Georgia.