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UNIVERSIIY OF GEORGIA
OCT 2 1 ’58
LIBRARIES
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1958
NO. 42
Dynamite Bomb Damages Atlanta Temple;
Shocks City 9 State, and Nation Into Action
Police searching for clues in the rubble of the dynamite blast at the
Temple in Atlanta. See pages 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 for additional material on
the disaster. The photographs and editorial reprints used in this special
section of this issue were made available through the courtesy and co
operation of THE ATLANTA JOURNAL and THE ATLANTA CONSTI
TUTION.
By ADOLPH
A pre-dawn blast of dynamite
shook the foundations of the
Temple in Atlanta Sunday, caus
ing approximately $200,000 in
damage.
The explosion shook the very
foundations of the community,
awakening hundreds around 3:30
a.m. and by noon the same day
reverberating as far away as
the top officials of the nation.
The disaster, flashed at first
over radio and TV, shocked pub-
lice officials the citizenry of the
city and state into a massive re
action of expressions of goodwill
and sympathy.
For about five hours, the ex
plosion source remained a mys
tery, although numerous reports
came almost immediately over
switchboards of police, news
paper offices and other mediums
of communication.
Because the blast was not ac
companied by a flash of light
and was on a side of the Tem
ple structure not visible from
the street or on the side facing
a huge apartment building, the
evidences of damage were not
immediately visible.
The damage was first discov
ered by the faithful Negro jani
tor of the Hebrew Benovelent
Congregation routinely reporting
to work at 8 a.m. to open the
Religious School part of the
building for the scheduled Sun
day School classes.
Robert Bentley first called the
Temple president, William B.
Schwartz Jr., and then the Tem-
Moshe Sbarett To Be
Nov. 9 at Dinner
Moshe Sharett, former Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister of
the State of Israel, will visit At
lanta next month, it was announc
ed by A. J. Weinberg, Chairman
of the 1958 Atlanta Israel Bond
Committee.
Israel’s outstanding internat
ional spokesman will represent
his country and will be principal
speaker at the dinner in honor of
Mayor William B. Hartsfield,
Sunday, Nov. 9, at the Progressive
Club. TTiis event, a high point in
the current local Israel Bond
Campaign, will mark the 10th
Anniversary of Israel’s independ
ence.
Foreign Minister in Israel’s
first Cabinet, Sharett won world
acclaim for his forceful exposi
tion of Israel’s position before
the highest international bodies.
He was Israel’s first spokesman
to address the General Assembly
of the United Nations, where he
presented a masterly case for Is
rael’s admission to the U.N.
Since stepping down from the
office of Prime Minister to make
way for David Ben-Gurion when
the latter came out of retire
ment, Sharett has gained added
laurels as a dynamic leader in
the formulation of Israel’s pro
gram of economic development.
He has travelled throughout the
world’s uncommitted nations
seeking friends for Israel. Only
recently he returned from India
where his visit resulted in a
new attitude taken by Prime
Minister Nehru.
Sharett has a background of
more than three decades of par
ticipation and leadership in the
Jong effort to bmg a Jewish
ROSENBERG
pie’s secretary, Mrs. Abe Shur-
gin.
Congregational channels swung
into action and police were
quickly summoned through Po
lice Captain Fred Beerman,
assistant to the chief of police
and himself a member of the
Congregation.
Soon, Rabbi Jacob Rothschild,
spiritual leader, and board mem
bers sped to the scene.
They surveyed the scene and
immediately knew they must
prepare a statement. They hud
dled inside a car parked in front
of the main building to frame
the wording of the statement
they would later release to the
press, radio and TV.
Almost simultaneously the
Sisterhood telephone committee
had sprung into action, alerting
parents of about 600 pupils that
there would be no Religious
School classes that morning.
A few unable to be reached
by phone brought their children
anyway. They had headed for
the Temple before they could be
reached, some of them from com
munities fifty and sixty miles
away. They were stopped at the
driveway by police and told they
could not enter. Later they learn
ed why from radio broadcasts.
Atlanta’s Mayor William B.
Hartsfield was one of the first
on the scene. Shocked and ang
ry, he remained all morning to
talk with reporters, newscasters
and communal officials.
He felt immediately the dyna-
Principal Speaker
Honoring Mayor
MOSHE SHARETT
State into being. Formerly head
of the Political Department of
the Jewish Agency for Palestine,
he was, during World War II,
chief coordinator of the war ef
fort of Palestinian Jewry.
Generally regarded as the
architect of Israel’s foreign pol
icy, Sharett is considered a mov
ing spirit in the world struggle
to defend the frontiers of free
dom and to strengthen democ
racy in the Middle East.
It is anticpiated that the form
er Prime Minister will bring
with him some form of recogni
tion to be presented to Mayor
Hartsfield for his consistent sup
port of Israeli causes through
the years.
Statements on Bombing
HEBREW BENEVOLENT CONGREGATION
miting was the work of the
crack-pots, similar to those re
sponsible for Synagogue bomb
ings in Nashville, Jacksonville
and Miami.
“I would not be surprised to
learn that this is internationally
inspired,” Hartsfield asserted.
“But I would not care to elabor
ate on this further.”
Mayor Hartsfield pledged the
full cooperation of the Atlanta
Police Force “until the culprits
are brought to justice."
“I want to start the ball roll
ing with the offer of a $1,000
reward offer from the Mayor’s
office,” Hartsfield declared. “I
hope the reward total will reach
as much as $50,000.”
Police, surveying the damaged
building, estimated that between
30 and 50 sticks of dynamite had
been set off professionally in
the side entrance which faces
the north side of the building.
This segment of the building,
not visible from the street, is be
side the driveway which encir
cles the Temple. It can be steal
thily approached from a parking
lot in rear of the business office
building next door.
Heavy cement columns which
were a part of the brick walls
at the entrance were torn from
their anchors and a huge hole
around twenty feet in circum
ference blasted in the structure.
Force of the blast shattered
all windows on the rear three
stories of the building, used for
the Religious School classes, ad
ministrative offices and office
structure.
The vestibule and surrounding
area were demolished or irre
parably damaged. The Temple
Social Hall whose wall faced the
corridor leading from the de
stroyed entrance was greatly
damaged, accoustical blocks
loosened from ceiling, the win
dows blown out.
Water from a broken pipe
(Continued on Page 8)
We are shocked and sick at
heart at the wanton damage to
our House of Worship. We thank
God that the explosion took place
before our children and teachers
arrived for Sunday School this
morning.
Our shattered Religious School
building and the broken win
dows of our Sanctuary bear mute
evidence to the contrast between
the ideals of religious faith and
the practices of Godless men.
We feel certain that the en
tire community joins us in the
condemnation of this despicable
and outrageous act which dam-
The Atlanta Jewish Commun
ity Council representing 37 mem
ber Jewish organizations in At
lanta, at a special joint meeting
of its Executive Committee and
Delegate Assembly, held at the
Jewish Community Center, Wed
nesday afternoon, October 15,
1958, unanimously adopted the
following statement:
We record our deep sense of
horror and abhorence at the ex
plosion which wrecked the Reli
gious School Building of the
Temple.
The reverberation of this ex
plosion was heard throughout
the land. Its universal condem
nation is a source of deep satis
faction to all of us.
The spontaneous response from
all segments of our community,
in an outpouring of generosity
of spirit and heart, is a magnifi
cent demonstration of sympathe
tic understanding and good will.
It is an encouraging manifesta
tion of our faith in the reality
of good community relationships
in Atlanta.
We have complete confidence
in the efforts of our city and
state officials and the law en-
aged our Temple but is in fact
directed against the total com
munity.
We are confident that the law
enforcement officials of our city
are doing and will continue to do
all in their power to apprehend
those responsible for this crimin
al attack upon the religious and
democratic foundations of our
country.
JACOB M. ROTHSCHILD,
RABBI
Temple Spiritual Leader
WILLIAM B. SCHWARTZ, JR.
Temple President
Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 12, 1958
forcement agencies of our com
munity with the helpful partici
pation of the F.B.I., of tracking
down those guilty of this hein
ous crime and bringing them to
justice.
In recognition of the work of
our law enforcement agencies,
the President of the Atlanta
Jewish Community Council is
hereby authorized to offer in
the name of the Council, the
sum of $2,500 towards the May
or’s Fund of a reward for the
apprehension and conviction of
those guilty of this treacherous
un-American act.
We hereby recommend to the
member organizations of the
Council to join in increasing the
Mayor’s Fund.
We desire to point out that
our job is not done with mere
expressions of shock and sym
pathy. We must rededicate our
selves to do all we can to root
out from our midst intolerance,
bigotry and hatred. The task wiU
not be completed until we realise
that goal.
MORTON L. WEISS, President
President
ATLANTA JEWISH COMMUNITY COUNCIL