Congregation of B'nai Israel Synagogue is a

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located at 525 Telfair Street, in Augusta,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, in the United States. The synagogue building is the oldest synagogue in Georgia. Dedicated in 1869 in the

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

-style, the synagogue is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

of the

Augusta Downtown Historic District Augusta Downtown Historic District is a historic district that encompasses most of Downtown Augusta, Georgia and its pre-Civil War area. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Notable historic sites Downtown Augus ...

, that is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Restoration efforts

In 2015, the City of Augusta had proposed demolishing the synagogue and the neighboring former Court of Ordinary building with plans to develop more parking for the Municipal Building located next door to the Synagogue. Soon after the proposal went public, the local Jewish community in Augusta, led by local historian Jack Steinberg, as well as many other citizens concerned about the proposed demolition worked to form a coalition working towards the goal of saving the structures as well as restoring them to become the home of a new Augusta Jewish Museum. The efforts convinced local leaders to ditch the plans for demolition and after that announcement, a new partnership between Historic Augusta and the local Jewish community was formed with plans for the restoration of the building. In July 2021, the construction was completed on the Court of the Ordinary building. A dedication ceremony was held for the building commemorating the official opening of Phase One of the project which included attendees from local government leaders to representatives from the Jewish community and Historic Augusta as well. The Augusta Jewish Museum now reflects on the history of the Jewish community in the Augusta area and includes exhibits on the Holocaust and Israel.

References

External links

*
Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities
1869 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) 19th-century synagogues in the United States Greek Revival architecture in Georgia (U.S. state) Greek Revival synagogues Jewish organizations established in 1869 Jewish museums in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Richmond County, Georgia Reform synagogues in Georgia (U.S. state) Sephardi Jewish culture in the United States Sephardi Reform Judaism Synagogues completed in 1869 Synagogues in Georgia (U.S. state) Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) {{US-synagogue-stub

Restoration efforts

See also

References

External links