Benjamin Sheftall

Benjamin Sheftall was born in Prussia was and was one of forty immigrants who arrived at Savannah, Georgia, in July, 1733. In Savannah he established himself as a landowner and a merchant. Benjamin was an influential member of the community as he was active in the establishment in 1735 of Congregation Mikveh Israel, which he seems to have served as shammash and shohet. He also kept the congregation’s vital records, which were continued by his son Levi. The bar mitzvah of his other son, Mordecai, in 1748 was the first recorded observance of this rite in America. In 1750, Benjamin joined a group of Christians in creating Georgia’s first philanthropic organization, the St. George (later Union) Society, to assist widows and orphans.