History of CCI
There are records of Jewish citizens living in Athens at
the time of
the Civil War. The Jewish community grew slowly, but by 1872, it had
grown to the point where a group of its leaders felt that they could
conduct organized religious activities. They
petitioned
the Superior
Court of Clarke County that a charter of incorporation be granted them
as "officials and trustees of a Synagogue, or House of Worship for the
Children of Israel under the name and style of "Kol Kadush Beni
Yisroile and Congregation Children of Israel.'" In August of that year
the petition for incorporation was signed.
One of the first business transactions for the newly organized board of
trustees of 1873 was purchase of a parcel of land at the corner of
Hancock and Jackson Streets. Then in 1878, a second portion, fronting 60
feet on Hancock and running through to Dougherty Street, was obtained.
It was in 1884 that the congregation constructed the house of worship
it would occupy for the next 84 years.
Meanwhile, in 1873, the first of three parcels of land adjoining the
Oconee Hills Cemetery along the Oconee River was purchased for use as a
congregational cemetery. Other parcels were obtained in 1913 and in
1947.
The congregation continued to grow, with 21 member families in 1900 to
38 member families in 1917. A large increase in membership in the late
50's and early 60's was largely due to expansion at the University of
Georgia and government research facilities, bringing many Jews into the
area. By 1970, these members made up half of the active congregation.
In 1965, a major decision was before the congregation. The old
structure would need extensive repairs if it was to continue as the
congregation's home and the city was planning urban renewal for the
area. Negotiations for an acceptable price for the old Temple property
were carried out, and the congregation was able to purchase
approximately 2.7 acres of land on Dudley Drive from the Athens Board
of Education. Now the building committee and the fundraising committee
would begin to bear fruit. A beautiful structure which blended into the
surrounding wooded area arose. On Sunday, October 13, 1968, it was
dedicated.
The congregation continued to grow, increasing to 83 member families in
1983 to over 140 member families today. In the 1990s, it became
apparent that the Temple, in particular the religious school, would
need to be expand in order to accommodate the ever increasing number of
students. A new education center was added to the current temple in
1996, dedicated as the ''Carol Bush Education Center'' in memory of
member Steven Bush's late wife. The religious school now has classes
for children as young as 3 and up to 16 years of age, increasing
enrollment from approximately 50 to 75 because of the new facility.
Since its beginnings in 1872, the Congregation Children of Israel has
been the only synagogue in Athens. As current rabbi, Rabbi Ronald D.
Gerson is fond of saying, "It's very important for people to know we
are the center of Jewish life in all of Northeast Georgia. To find
another temple, you would have to go east all the way to Augusta, west
to Gwinnett County, south to Macon, or north to Tennessee or North
Carolina.''
The author would like to acknowledge and
thank Dr. Herbert S. Siegel,
Prof. Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University for his permission in
allowing information from his essay "A View Of the Past" to be used on
this page. The complete essay is available for viewing at the Temple
office. In addition, some material was used with permission, from the
AThens Banner-Herald.
