})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); In 1913 Frank, a Jew raised in New York, was accused of murdering Mary Phagan, an employee of the Atlanta pencil factory he managed. The history of the Jews in Atlanta began in the early years of the city's settlement, and the Jewish community continues to grow today. See where USY Summer Experience takes you, and register today. span.meta-category a { This dynamic also visible in the realm of Jewish communal organizations. [1] The community also largely withdrew from politics after the episode, and for well over a decade, no Atlanta Jews ran for public office. They tended to travel in chains of migration following earlier relatives or landsmenpeople from the same areas of Europeto locations that offered the greatest likelihood of mercantile success and, ultimately, in which they could establish Jewish community institutions. Max C. Gettinger, Coming of Age: The Atlanta Jewish Federation, 1962-1982 (Hoboken, N.J.: KTAV Publishing House, 1994). The building was remodeled during the late 1990s and became part of the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center. Discover yourself on the adventure of a lifetime. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum. [4][5] The congregation, which came to be known as The Temple, has been an important focal point of Atlanta Jewish life since its synagogue was dedicated in 1877. Weve grown to serve the city we love! , and other right-wing groups. Someof our Israel Journey trips willhave the opportunity to attendThe Maccabiah Games. Although most Atlanta Jews remained silent concerning black rightsthe majority out of fear, but some out of acceptance of southern racial moresa few condemned discrimination during the 1920s and 1930s, especially through the Atlanta Urban League. var google_custom_params = window.google_tag_params; He was defeated by Maynard Jackson during his 1973 re-election bid, who became Atlanta's first black mayor, and Massell is the last white mayor of Atlanta to date. Mishpacha- We are a family, sharing in each other's smachot, supporting each other in times of need, and contributing our individual time and resources. The Concordia Society, forerunner of the present Standard Club, was a Jewish social organization founded in 1866. OHT offers a full range of services, classes, and programs, with something for everyone, including Daily and weekly prayer services,Torah study and educational In the Middle School, AJA Jaguars compete against schools of similar size and skill through the Metro Atlanta Athletic Conference (MAAC). Prior to his case, many Atlanta Jews of a wealthier, German background felt fully established and accepted in the city. The Marcus JCC is named in honor of Bernie Marcus, who along with Arthur Blank founded Home Depot, and both of whom are major donors in the Jewish community in Atlanta and beyond. Ramah Israel Seminar is a six-week travel program in Israel, designed for entering 12th graders who are graduates of the ten Ramah overnight camps in North America. Torah study, love and support for Israel, and celebrating and learning from each others differences make up our core values. Latest tracks by Congregation Beth Jacob. Many believe that Rabbi Rothschild's outspoken support for the Civil Rights Movement and integration lead to the targeting of The Temple. AJC's Atlanta Black/Jewish Coalition | AJC Seminar is an opportunity to live the Ramah life in Israel, combining all that is central to camp community, connection and growth. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder. [20] Donations to help the synagogue recover poured in from every corner of Atlanta and from across the country, although the synagogue had not requested funds. JF&CS Atlanta | Home Page Wander with your friends and meet amazing new people. Bayit- We see our shul as our spiritual home, where we work on cultivating a relationship with HaShem through Mitzvot, Tefillah and Talmud Torah. As befit their socioeconomic status and their cultural norms, Atlantas Jews participated in public life. The Tower offers subsidized housing for low income Levy, 94, passed away on April 15, 2023. [1], While Ashkenazi Jews make up the majority of the community, as is common in most of the country, Atlanta is also home to one of the U.S.'s largest Sephardi populations. It included the womens organizations as well as the Jewish Educational Alliance (1909), a settlement-type entity, and the Free Loan Association. Jewish Community of Atlanta. Our Partners Our students are community leaders, religiously grounded and inspired, imbued with a value system reflecting care and concern for the breadth of the Jewish community and the world around them. A mob that formed with the aim of attacking the governor's home had to be stopped by the Georgia National Guard. A thriving and connected 21st Century Jewish Atlanta where every Jew and their loved ones can access warm and caring Jewish community, timeless Jewish wisdom, global Jewish peoplehood, and Jewish ways to do good in the world. transform: unset !important; On March 31, Gordins worst fears came to pass he was murdered during a night robbery at his home at the age of 70. The community was deeply impacted by the Leo Frank case in 19131915, which caused many to re-evaluate what it meant to be Jewish in Atlanta and the South, and largely scarred the generation of Jews in the city who lived through it. David Mayer, the most noteworthy of the Confederacy supporters, served as Georgia governor Joseph E. Browns commissary officer. Yet the lynching shattered the sense of security felt by Atlantas Jews, who were routinely excluded from the citys elite social clubs. The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. [22][23], In 1980, the Jewish population was estimated at 27,500. Doris H. Goldstein, From Generation to Generation: A Centennial History of Congregation Ahavath Achim, 1887-1987 (Atlanta: Capricorn, 1987). 11 Iyyar 5783. Connect to the past and discover your future. Along the way, youll take part in an authentic archaeological dig, sample the worlds very best falafel, spend a night sleeping under the desert stars, and experience the innovative energy of Tel Aviv first-hand. } Bat mitzvah celebrations for girls took place for the first time, although they were still prohibited from reading from the Torah, and women joined the synagogue choir. For over 60 years, USY has provided Jewish teens with transformative travel experiences, opening their eyes to new places, different ways of life, and some of the worlds most spectacular sights. fbq('track', 'PageView'); In 1913 Frank, a Jew raised in New York, was accused of murdering Mary Phagan, an employee of the Atlanta pencil factory he managed. B'nai B'rith International - Achim/Gate City Lodge (Atlanta). They were assimilated and considered themselves Southern, and what happened to Frank was a scary awakening that in the broader society's eyes, they may always be considered Jews first. Young Adult Happy Hour and Distillery Tour. During the antebellum period in Atlanta, most Jews supported the Confederacy, including David Mayer. in the Greater Atlanta Jewish community each week. Chana relays a moving tribute to an inspirational figure her mother. Explore your progressive Jewish values from new angles. Beth Jacob Atlanta There, they hung him not far from the Phagan house, where his body remained for hours as an energized crowd gathered. Come discover yourself on the adventure of a lifetime and make lifelong friendships along the way. Jewish In 1910, Shearith Israel hired Rabbi Tobias Geffen to head their synagogue, who would go on to have a large impact on the Atlanta Jewish community as well as Orthodox communities throughout the South. .caf-content {display:none !important;} Yet theirs was not necessarily a random movement. The doors of Congregation Ohr HaTorahare always opento warmly welcome anyone and everyone who would like to explore the richness and meaningful spirituality associated with modern Orthodoxy. Through his trial and appeals Frank was caricatured as the northern businessman and Jew out to exploityoung women from the rural South. [10], On August 16, 1915, a group of prominent Marietta and Georgia citizens calling themselves the "Knights of Mary Phagan", including a former Georgia governor, former and current Marietta mayors, and current and former sheriffs, abducted Frank from prison and drove him back to Marietta. Rabbi Emanuel Feldman led the congregants of Orthodox Congregation Beth Jacob during the 1950s. There are also Holocaust memorials in Greenwood Cemetery and at the Marcus JCC's Zaban Park. In his halachic responsa, using initials and code words to refer to ingredients, he outlined two problem ingredients, one which kept the soda from being kosher altogether and another which precluded it from being kosher for Passover. The JEA facility was completed in 1911 and surplus funds were used to start a free health clinic in the building. [8][7] As to the atmosphere that led to Frank's prosecution, historian Nancy MacLean said it "[could] be explained only in light of the social tensions unleashed by the growth of industry and cities in the turn-of-the-century South. The rapid influx of Jews contributed to the creation of religious institutions. width: 100%; border:1px solid #fff; Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Mark K. Bauman, Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces Facing the People of Many Communities: Atlanta Jewry from the Frank Case to the Great Depression, Atlanta Historical Journal 23 (fall 1979). Float in theDead Sea. (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), } The mid-1940s to 1950s witnessed the beginning of Atlantas coming of age as a center of southern Jewry. [2], When Atlanta hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics, the Jewish community took action to encourage formal recognition and remembrance of the 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics, known as the Munich massacre. [11] The case has been called the "American Dreyfus affair", as both centered around falsely accused wealthy assimilated Jewish men whose trials, based on minimal evidence, were the catalysts of anti-Semitic fervor in the masses which then led to their convictions. Responding to Ralph McGill's piece about the bombing, the daughter of slain Florida NAACP director Henry T. Moore lamented the lack of similar outcry or care on the part of the government at the state or federal levels in investigating the crime. display: none !important; Early members of the society secured the first Jewish plots in the famous Oakland Cemetery, in its original six acres. [2], The number of community institutions and organizations has also increased to keep up with the needs of the community. During the next two decades the congregation swung back and forth between traditional and Reform Judaism, hiring and firing rabbis as first one faction and then the other gained power. Joseph Hirsch and other Jews led in the establishment of Atlantas Grady Memorial Hospital. On January 1, 1867, the Reverend Isaac Leeser of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, presided over the first Jewish wedding in Atlanta, that of Emilie Baer to Abraham Rosenfeld, and used the occasion to encourage the creation of a congregation to replace the short-lived one begun in 1862. Atlanta's mayor, William B. Hartsfield, visited the site of the bombing and condemned it in no uncertain terms. j=d.createElement(s);j.async=!0;j.src='https://cdn.fundraiseup.com/widget/'+a; More than a tour, this is an opportunity to understand Israels dynamic society first-hand while finding your own connection to this storied land. After the commutation of his death sentence to life in prison by Governor John M. Slaton, who believed him innocent, Frank was abducted from prison and lynched by citizens of Marietta, Phagans hometown. To raise capital they started as peddlers, obtained goods on credit, worked as clerks, created partnerships, and/or obtained funds from the Montefiore Relief Association, Free Loan Association, or Morris Plan banks, where a references signature replaced collateral.