Atlanta, Ga., May 10, 2017 - The Georgia Historical Society will dedicate a new historical marker this Friday to The Temple, the first official Jewish institution in Atlanta and site of a Civil Rights-era bombing in 1958. The marker is the latest addition to the Georgia Civil Rights Trail, an initiative focused broadly on the economic, social, political, and cultural history of the Civil Rights Movement.
“The Temple is honored that the Georgia Historical Society has selected our congregation to be part of their Georgia Civil Rights Trail program. This designation could not be more timely as we are celebrating our 150th Anniversary,” said Mark Jacobson, Executive Director for The Temple.
The dedication will take place this Friday, May 12, at 4:00 p.m. at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta.
In addition to Mr. Jacobson, speakers will include Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society; Rabbi Peter S. Berg, Senior Rabbi of the Temple, and Rabbi Emeritus Alvin M. Sugarman. The historical marker will be unveiled by Anthony and Jackie Montag.
The historical marker reads:
The Temple
The Temple, originally founded as the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation in 1867, was Atlanta’s first official Jewish institution. It grew out of the Hebrew Benevolent Society, organized in 1860 to help Atlanta's Jewish poor. In 1875, the Congregation built its first permanent worship hall in downtown Atlanta. The Temple of 1931, the third home for its congregation, was designed by renowned Atlanta architect Philip Shutze. Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, an outspoken supporter of social justice during the Civil Rights era, served the congregation for 27 years (1946-1973). On October 12, 1958, white supremacists bombed the northern side of the Temple in response to the Rabbi's support of the Civil Rights movement. Home to the city's oldest Jewish congregation, The Temple continues to serve as a center for Atlanta's Jewish spiritual, educational, and social life.
Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and The Temple
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