Honoring Those that Arrived Before Us and Those Yet to Come
Beth Jacob is a full-service Orthodox synagogue in the heart of a large, diverse, and dynamic Jewish community in northeast Atlanta. It currently serves 630 member families and other families and individuals who participate in religious, educational, cultural and social activities.
A newly-constructed extension facility created new central entrance and rotunda that connects the original building and this newer portion. The leaders at Beth Jacob wanted signage to honor all the previous, current, and future donors to their synagogue.
During meetings with the clients, I realized the Tree of Life was the single most appropriate visual symbol because it projected the Living Renewal concept the client sought. Since the piece needed to be constructed to reflect the vastly different donor levels as well as the types of donations, I turned to another key symbol within the Jewish community: the Western Wall. The multiple sizes found within the stonework of the Western Wall worked ideally to image levels and variety of gifts. Then through the incorporation of subtle spring greens and leaves, emblematic of the Tree of Life, the design for this Living Renewal was born.
