The Temple (Atlanta, Ga.) Records

The Temple was formally incorporated as the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation on April 1, 1867. Several months earlier, Rabbi Isaac Leeser of Philadelphia visited Atlanta to perform the marriage ceremony for Emilie Baer and Abraham Rosenfeld. He used the occasion of their wedding to encourage the Jewish men of Atlanta to organize the city's first Jewish congregation. In the early years, the service was Orthodox, and members with knowledge of Hebrew took turns conducting it. The congregation's first rabbi, Rev. Mr. D. Burgheim, came to the Temple in 1869. He was followed in quick succession by Rabbi Benjamin Aaron Bonnheim, in 1870, Rabbi Henry Gerson in 1874, Dr. Edward Benjamin Morris "Alphabet" Browne in 1877, Rabbi Jacob S. Jacobson in 1887, and Rabbi Leo Reich in 1888. It was not until Dr. David Marx accepted the pulpit in 1895 that the Temple would have stability in the rabbinate. Rabbi Marx remained in that position for the next 51 years. During Rabbi Marx's tenure at the Temple, he led the congregation from Orthodoxy to Classical Reform Judaism, established a sisterhood, a modern religious school and choir, to name just a few of the many innovations that he urged upon his congregants. He was also a liaison between the Jewish and general communities and was well respected by both.

Rabbi Marx remained the spiritual leader of the Temple until his retirement in 1946. He was followed by Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild, who arrived in Atlanta in July of that same year. Soon after his arrival, Rabbi Rothschild established children's services, organized the Temple’s youth group, the children's choir and began the publication of a congregational bulletin. Like his predecessor, the new rabbi was also a well-respected leader in both the Jewish and general communities. He was one of the first among the early Jewish leaders to actively campaign for racial equality and helped to bring the Temple into the forefront of that effort. As a result of that involvement, the Temple was bombed in the early morning hours of October 12, 1958. Following the bombing, the City of Atlanta rallied behind the Temple and its rabbi. Rabbi Rothschild remained steadfast in his support of Civil Rights and was a well-respected community leader until his untimely death in 1973. His tenure as rabbi was followed by the election of Alvin Sugarman in 1974, under whose direction the Temple continued to evolve and develop. Rabbi Sugarman retired and was named Rabbi Emeritus of the Temple in 2004. Rabbi Peter S. Berg was elected to lead the congregation in 2008 and still serves as the Lynne and Howard Halpern Senior Rabbinic Chair as of 2020. From its humble beginning in 1867, The Temple has become one of the most well-respected congregations in the Southeast and continues to offer both spiritual and secular leadership for its many members.