Late last year I had the wonderful opportunity to tour The Temple.
"The Breman's goal for these tours, and the app for that matter, is to make Atlanta's Jewish history as accessible as possible to a broad and diverse audience. These tours provide an opportunity for people from a variety of backgrounds to gain a new perspective to Atlanta's history; and we hope they appeal to a lifetime Atlantan, a newcomer, or a tourist," said Aaron Berger, Executive Director, The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum.
I was very excited to see the 2016 Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours announcement! The tours are a program of The Breman Museum and I had the great pleasure of going on one of the first in this wonderful series. We toured The Temple on Peachtree street and the photos in this post are from that experience.
It'd been many, many years since I'd been inside The Temple—founded in 1867—so long, in fact, that I'd forgotten just how incredibly beautiful it is and I was grateful to be reminded of its rich history.
Some of you may know The Temple from personal memory, the news or the blockbuster film Driving Miss Daisy. The Temple's civil rights advocacy of their senior rabbi during the 1950s and 1960s led to the infamous bombing of the building in 1958. That horrid event did not stop The Temple's work toward bringing about social justice.
There's so much more to learn about The Temple and you're in luck...they're on the 2016 Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours lineup, as are many other alluring sites of interest.
The Temple's main sanctuary was constructed in 1931 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. And in addition to the magnificent chandelier pictured above, they have a Fifty Rank Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ!
The first of the 2016 Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours launches in just a couple of weeks. Some of the tours are free, and the others are free for Breman members with a nominal fee for non-members.
At the time of my Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours visit to The Temple, the series did not not have a sponsor, but it was conceived to complement the Historic Jewish Atlanta App, launched by The Breman Museum in 2015. It was provided at the bequeath of the Weiller Family in memory of Margaret Strauss Weiller.
This free App is the first of its kind in the United States and when I first learned about it featured 13 Jewish sites around Atlanta. Additional historic sites will continually be added to the App so there will always be something new to see or visit. And there are plans in the works to feature an online exhibition on the App in the future. In the meantime, you can find more info about it here.
Perhaps my favorite part of the tour—aside from the pure beauty of the building's interior—was learning about the symbolism incorporated into the architecture and decor. I encourage you to go on any of the tours in this series and be as mesmerized as I was.
I particularly enjoyed the symbolism of the pomegranate! I'm not an expert, but what I recall is that each pomegranate fruit was said to have 613 seeds just as there are 613 good deeds, mitzvot, in the Torah. Pomegranates are eaten on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, to wish for good deeds and a year as plentiful with goodness as the seeds of the pomegranate. With all due respect to my Jewish friends, I find this to be a wonderful tradition.
The Temple was recently named by Newsweek Magazine as "one of the most vibrant and dynamic Jewish congregations in the country".
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention our wonderful hosts and tour guide. Our hosts that day were Joyce Shlesinger, former board president of The Breman Museum, and Spring Asher, member of the Board of Trustees of The Temple, and our tour guide was Barbara Seligman...each of them absolutely welcoming and delightful. "Thank you!", ladies, for such a magnificent tour!
We've all heard a lot of "small world" stories, of course, but I was still surprised that in a tour group of only 20-25 guests that I ran into an old friend, another friend who works at the Atlanta History Center, and my lovely friend Sally who has for years led the "Jewish Grounds of Oakland" tour at Oakland Cemetery.
And the other tour guests were delightful...it felt almost like a social event, with all the perks of a guided tour!
I highly recommend taking advantage of The Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours and be sure to make your reservations early...these tours will fill up! And remember to download the App. Enjoy!
"The Breman's goal for these tours, and the app for that matter, is to make Atlanta's Jewish history as accessible as possible to a broad and diverse audience. These tours provide an opportunity for people from a variety of backgrounds to gain a new perspective to Atlanta's history; and we hope they appeal to a lifetime Atlantan, a newcomer, or a tourist," said Aaron Berger, Executive Director, The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum.
 |
| Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours | The Temple |
I was very excited to see the 2016 Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours announcement! The tours are a program of The Breman Museum and I had the great pleasure of going on one of the first in this wonderful series. We toured The Temple on Peachtree street and the photos in this post are from that experience.
It'd been many, many years since I'd been inside The Temple—founded in 1867—so long, in fact, that I'd forgotten just how incredibly beautiful it is and I was grateful to be reminded of its rich history.
 |
| Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours | The Temple |
Some of you may know The Temple from personal memory, the news or the blockbuster film Driving Miss Daisy. The Temple's civil rights advocacy of their senior rabbi during the 1950s and 1960s led to the infamous bombing of the building in 1958. That horrid event did not stop The Temple's work toward bringing about social justice.
There's so much more to learn about The Temple and you're in luck...they're on the 2016 Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours lineup, as are many other alluring sites of interest.
 |
| Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours | The Temple |
The Temple's main sanctuary was constructed in 1931 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. And in addition to the magnificent chandelier pictured above, they have a Fifty Rank Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ!
 |
| Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours | The Temple |
The first of the 2016 Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours launches in just a couple of weeks. Some of the tours are free, and the others are free for Breman members with a nominal fee for non-members.
 |
| Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours | The Temple |
At the time of my Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours visit to The Temple, the series did not not have a sponsor, but it was conceived to complement the Historic Jewish Atlanta App, launched by The Breman Museum in 2015. It was provided at the bequeath of the Weiller Family in memory of Margaret Strauss Weiller.
This free App is the first of its kind in the United States and when I first learned about it featured 13 Jewish sites around Atlanta. Additional historic sites will continually be added to the App so there will always be something new to see or visit. And there are plans in the works to feature an online exhibition on the App in the future. In the meantime, you can find more info about it here.
 |
| Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours | The Temple |
Perhaps my favorite part of the tour—aside from the pure beauty of the building's interior—was learning about the symbolism incorporated into the architecture and decor. I encourage you to go on any of the tours in this series and be as mesmerized as I was.
 |
| Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours | The Temple |
I particularly enjoyed the symbolism of the pomegranate! I'm not an expert, but what I recall is that each pomegranate fruit was said to have 613 seeds just as there are 613 good deeds, mitzvot, in the Torah. Pomegranates are eaten on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, to wish for good deeds and a year as plentiful with goodness as the seeds of the pomegranate. With all due respect to my Jewish friends, I find this to be a wonderful tradition.
 |
| Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours | The Temple |
The Temple was recently named by Newsweek Magazine as "one of the most vibrant and dynamic Jewish congregations in the country".
 |
| Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours | The Temple |
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention our wonderful hosts and tour guide. Our hosts that day were Joyce Shlesinger, former board president of The Breman Museum, and Spring Asher, member of the Board of Trustees of The Temple, and our tour guide was Barbara Seligman...each of them absolutely welcoming and delightful. "Thank you!", ladies, for such a magnificent tour!
 |
| Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours | The Temple |
We've all heard a lot of "small world" stories, of course, but I was still surprised that in a tour group of only 20-25 guests that I ran into an old friend, another friend who works at the Atlanta History Center, and my lovely friend Sally who has for years led the "Jewish Grounds of Oakland" tour at Oakland Cemetery.
And the other tour guests were delightful...it felt almost like a social event, with all the perks of a guided tour!
I highly recommend taking advantage of The Breman's Historic Jewish Atlanta Tours and be sure to make your reservations early...these tours will fill up! And remember to download the App. Enjoy!
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