The walls in one of the rooms in the Augusta Jewish Museum has a temporary wallpaper — a foreshadowing of the permanent exhibit to come.
H.W. Exhibits of Charleston, S.C. has been tasked to create the permanent exhibits which will highlight four distinct facets of Jewish life, according to Jack Weinstein, who has served as president of the museum’s board of directors.
“They’ve started building the exhibits,” he said.
Last July, the museum, which is housed in what was once the Court of Ordinary, celebrated its opening. The court building is adjacent to the first synagogue to be built in Augusta — an 1869 Greek Revival structure on Telfair Street. The two historic buildings had been saved from the wrecking ball several years before.
The court building was the first to be renovated, and while the permanent exhibits have not been on display yet, the structure has housed several different programs related to Jewish culture.
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That fulfills a main mission of the museum, according to Weinstein.
“We want to educate,” he said.
The wallpapered room will highlight the contributions of Jewish Augustans in several fields including business, government, medicine, the arts and education. The permanent exhibit will feature photographs and a narrative.
Computer touchscreens will augment the information on the walls, he said.
A map of Augusta will highlight some of the Jewish businesses that once were or are still part of the fabric of the city.
Another room will focus on the Jewish experience and will give information on Jewish holidays and traditions. The space will include items of Jewish significance such as a shofar.
“We want to set a table for the Sabbath,” he said.
The third and fourth rooms are divided by a partial wall and that space is currently housing an exhibit from the Aiken synagogue which is celebrating its centennial. The exhibit closes July 15.
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One room will be related to Israel, and the other will focus on the Holocaust.
Items in the Holocaust room will include a Torah scroll that survived the Holocaust.
Weinstein said he also has a piece of a Nazi flag that once flew at a concentration camp.
“That’s offensive to me, but on the back are the signatures of the American soldiers who freed that camp,” he said.
Weinstein said he hopes the exhibits will be in place by the end of the year.
Another phase of the museum includes restoring the former synagogue and turning it into a venue for weddings, concerts or gatherings.
As costs have continued to rise so has the price tag for renovations.
The original costs were projected to be around $3 million for the entire project, he said. So far about $600,000 has been spent on renovating the Court of Ordinary building.
Weinstein said the organization is continuing to raise money.
For more information, visit augustajewishmuseum.org.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
