A July 22 ceremony marked the end of the first phase of the Augusta Jewish Museum.
In 2015, Historic Augusta’s Erick Montgomery entered a fight to save not one but two historic structures that faced the wrecking ball in order to become an extension of the Municipal Building’s parking lot.
He knew at the time that “if someone does not speak up, this historic building will not be saved,” Montgomery said of the building.
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At stake was the court of the ordinary and the oldest Jewish synagogue building in Georgia. Montgomery said he had lengthy discussions with people in Savannah about that distinction. The Telfair Street synagogue was built in 1869, while the court of the ordinary was a state of the art fireproof building when it was constructed in 1860. The building stored historic documents dating back to 1777.
From there, Montgomery took part in numerous Richmond County Commission meetings, and he found people in Augusta’s Jewish community who would sound the alarm as well.
Jack Steinberg arose as a champion for the preservation of the Telfair Street building, where he’d been a member and had his bar mitzvah. He developed the concept of a museum related to the city’s Jewish heritage. Montgomery said he’d never considered that purpose, but Steinberg ran with the idea. He died in July 2019 before he could see it realized.
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The torch passed to another Jack — Jack Weinstein, who serves as the president of the museum’s board.
The first phase has included renovations to the court of the ordinary, which will serve as the museum’s education center.
Exhibits are being constructed by HWE, a Charleston, S.C.-based company. They will focus on four areas — Jewish contributions in the Augusta area, Jewish traditions and practices, Holocaust remembrance and the land of Israel.
The synagogue itself will be an event venue much like a “mini Sacred Heart,” he said.
The project is estimated at $3.2 million, and more than $600,000 has been raised.
Some donations have been large figures, while others were sacrificial ones such as the $2 check Weinstein received from a woman who wrote about how much the building meant to her.
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The educational center will be open for tours and special programs on the second Sunday of each month. Programs will begin at 2 p.m., starting Aug. 8.
Included in the July 22 ceremony were prayers by local rabbis and the placing of a mezuzah, a parchment with religious texts written on it, over the doorway.
For more information, visit augustajewishmuseum.org.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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