On Sunday December 18, 2022, the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, begins. Continuing its new tradition of lighting the giant blue Hanukkah Menorah at the top of the steps of the recently saved downtown 525 Telfair Street Synagogue, this year Augusta Jewish Museum (AJM) also stresses the importance of “Shine A Light on Antisemitism”. According to the national Anti-Defamation League (ADL), “Shine A Light” is a “purpose-driven convening platform for organizations, companies, institutions and individuals to unite in shining a light on antisemitism in all its modern forms.” AJM condemns hatred in any form as evidenced by its recent well attended August 2022 community program about bigotry, racism, and intolerance.
A summary of “Hope in Times of Hate” is found at https://www.augustajewishmuseum.org/education and featured notable representatives from the Jewish Community Center and Federation of Augusta, NAACP, ADL, and several attorneys. Help dispel the darkness and shine your lights during the week of December 18-26 to combat hatred in any form.

Thanks to a grant from the Digital Library of Georgia, materials from the Augusta Jewish Museum documenting more than two centuries of Jewish life, culture, foodways, and tradition are now available online. According to DLG’s December 7 press release, “The collection contains historical materials dating from 1850 to 2022 that come from a diverse group of Jewish creators, including youth, women, clergy, fraternities, and congregations that offer unique insights into the greater Augusta, Georgia region’s Jewish life, philanthropy, foodways, and experiences.” Access the collection at https://dlg.usg.edu/collection/augjm_augjmc.

As part of AJM’s recent 2022 Georgia Humanities Grant project entitled “Remembering Our Place in History: Jewish Voices of the Central Savannah River Area”, local videographer Mark Albertin and AJM volunteers have been compiling audio and video files of oral histories of Augusta and Aiken Jewish residents from various sources including from the 2020 partnership with Sea Stachura and students at the Jessye Norman School of the Arts.

Join the Rev. Robert Pierre Chapter of Augusta Colonial Dames, Historic Augusta, and Augusta Jewish Museum on Sunday January 22, 2023, at 2 pm to preview the “Jewish Voices” project and for the historic marker dedication of the saved 1860 Court of Ordinary and the 1869 Congregation Children of Israel, the oldest standing synagogue in Georgia. Museum design continues by HW Exhibits of Mt. Pleasant SC with a projected full opening of the AJM Education Center in late Spring 2023.