(1861-65) the Jewish population in Atlanta had doubled, their small numbers still precluded the establishment of formal religious institutions. In the 1950s, Atlanta further solidified its status as the Jewish center of the South with the opening of branches of a number Jewish groups, including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee. There, they hung him not far from the Phagan house, where his body remained for hours as an energized crowd gathered. [14] Within a few years, he became known as a key resource for many of the Orthodox communities throughout the South that lacked a rabbi of their own, and often travelled to solve problems. A population study (locating 9,630 Jews) was undertaken, experts were consulted, and a community calendar was established. Hike mountains. It was not only the historically wealthier German Jewish community that moved, but many poorer Jews whose primary language was Yiddish, migrated there also. [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. 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); The permanent exhibit The Holocaust Years at the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum in Atlanta describes the systematic murder of 6 million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators. When he took over leading the synagogue, it was in a time when its membership and community had a growing fracture between its older, founding, Yiddish-speaking immigrants and the less traditional English-speaking next generation. A conservative Jewish journalist says he was harassed and humiliated by a bartender at a Brooklyn bar who refused to serve him and heckled him out of the Others in the community assign more lasting importance to what happened, and continue to call for political action to absolve and remember Frank, who in 1986 received a posthumous pardon based on the state's culpability in his death, rather than his innocence. Atlantas Jewish Population Having been steered away from farming by historical circumstances (for example, many of the governments in Europe imposed restrictions on their owning land), Jews across Georgia tended to gravitate toward nonagricultural work. Congregation Ahavath Achim was founded in 1887 followed by Shearith Israel (1902), Anshi Sfard (1913), and Or VeShalom (1914), a Sephardic synagogue. We educate and inspire students from Early Childhood - 12th In 1935, Rabbi Geffen issued a new responsa deeming Coca-Cola kosher, and also kosher for Passover as they had agreed to switch to using beet and cane sugar in the weeks before the holiday. In its early decades, the Jewish community was largely made up of German Jewish immigrants who quickly assimilated and were active in broader Atlanta society. Where your generosity provides for a richer The Atlanta race massacre of 1906 and a series of strikes against the Elsas familys Fulton Bag and Cotton Company, at one time the citys largest industrial employer, formed part of the backdrop for the Leo Frank incident, possibly the most dramatic case of anti-Semitism in American history. 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. Meet Our People | Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta The opportunities for women's overall participation increased also. Ahavat Yisrael- We share a love for the Jewish people, are open-minded, and willing to learn from one another. Youth Program Update. Atlanta Jewish Academy emphasizes the value of each individual and respect for others. As the prominent Orthodox rabbi in the region, he began receiving letters from across the country asking whether or not Coca-Cola, famously based in Atlanta, was kosher. 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. A few owned enslaved people, some employed enslaved workers in their business pursuits, and most supported the Confederacy. })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); [2], While Zionism was gaining traction in Jewish communities around the world and U.S., it was slower to catch on in Atlanta. Rabbi David Marx served The Temple for 51 years (18951946), Rabbi Tobias Geffen served Shearith Israel for 60 years (19101970), and Rabbi Harry Epstein served Ahavath Achim for 54 years (19281982). Directory | Atlanta Jewish Connector In 1875 Aaron Haas became Atlanta's first mayor pro tempore. Early members of the society secured the first Jewish plots in the famous Oakland Cemetery, in its original six acres. Additionally, five congregations have their own mikveh and there are a number of Jewish day schools across the ideological spectrum. The Hebrew Benevolent Society, which was started in 1860 and provided insurance, aid, and burial benefits, served as the first formal Jewish religious organization and the forerunner of things to come. Yet the lynching shattered the sense of security felt by Atlantas Jews, who were routinely excluded from the citys elite social clubs. The Jews of Atlanta had been welcomed with little prejudice and had fit into society. Linda Frank shares a tribute her to her daughter, Angie Frank Nothdurft. [21], During and in a short period following the Six-Day War, the 16,000 person Atlanta Jewish community managed to raise $1.5 million, which today would be over $11 million adjusted for inflation, for the United Jewish Appeal's Israel Emergency Fund. In 1958, one of the centers of Jewish life in the city, the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation, known as "The Temple" was bombed over its rabbi's support for the Civil Rights Movement. The case contributed to the founding of both the Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith and the Knights of Mary Phagan, a forerunner of the modern Ku Klux Klan. As the city became the center of the New South, its economy rapidly expanded, enticing a number of Jews to move to the city. The creation of Orthodox Congregation Beth Jacob, soon under the leadership of Emanuel Feldman (1952), served as a harbinger of the ceremonial/religious revival of the last half of the twentieth century. [2], Under the 51-year tenure of Rabbi David Marx, the members of The Temple were used to the idea that if it wanted acceptance, it could not afford to rock the boat in non-Jewish/Christian Atlanta society or cause conflict. WebOffice: 1412 Lachona Ct, Atlanta, GA 30329. Many of Atlantas Jews participate in numerous programs to visit Israel. While the existing Atlanta Jewish community was largely assimilated, generally wealthy, and of liberal German Jewish backgrounds, the new immigrants were of a different background. [2][6], In 1913, a small number of Hasidic Jews also founded their own synagogue, Anshi Sfard. When the war was over and the city was left to rebuild after it had largely been burnt down when General Sherman and his troops approached the city, Jews played a larger role than before in the city's public sphere and its society. OHT offers a full range of services, classes, andprograms, with something for everyone, including Daily and weekly prayer services,Torah study and educational opportunities for all interests, Chesed and social action programs, Social Events for all age groups, and robust Youth and Teen Programming. The Tower offers subsidized housing for low income A local chapter of the Jewish fraternity Bnai Brith opened its doors in 1870. Fashion and politics from Georgia-born designer Frankie Welch, Take a virtual tour of Georgia's museums and galleries. .caf-content {display:none !important;} t.parentNode.insertBefore(j,t);o.s=Date.now();o.v=4;o.h=w.location.href;o.l=[]; 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. @media only screen and (max-width: 767px) { Almost all of the people were immigrants from central Europe, mostly the Germanic states. Additionally, David Mayer helped found the Georgia Board of Education and served on it for a decade until his death in 1890. The empathetic/patronizing nature of such relationships was dramatized in Roy Hoffmans novelAlmost Family (1983) and Alfred Uhrys play Driving Miss Daisy (1987). Privacy Policy 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. [19], Just after World War II, an estimated 10,217 Jews were living in Atlanta, and only 6% of Jewish adults were not involved in any Jewish organizations. s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', Your web browser does not support the