Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins today at sundown,

 and services were held yesterday and today at Selma's Temple Mishkan Israel.

 The historic temple is over 100 years old and used now for special observances.

Rosh Hashanah Service

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, was celebrated last night and this morning at Temple Mishkan Israel.

Steve Grossman (at the podium) led the Wednesday evening service which ended with apples and honey, a tradition signifying the hope for a "sweet" new year.

Photograph by Christine Weerts

Selma's Churches, The Story of Ruth in Stained Glass

The story of Ruth in the Old Testament has always been among my favorite, and the scene where she gathers grain is beautifully depicted in this stained-glass window at Temple Mishkan Israel. After Ruth's husband died, she followed her mother-in-law to the land of Judah, telling her, "Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; Your people shall be my people, and your God will be my God."

Photograph by Christine Weerts

More information about Temple Mishkan Israel can be found HERE.

Glorious Flutterer

When the sun shines just right, this butterfly can take your breath away!

The "Glorious Flutterer" gleams with pizazz on Broad Street, Selma's main avenue. This sculpture was painted in warm polka dots by Sister Judith Kaiser and Keyonsis Olds for their sponsor, the St. Edmund Learning Center.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Sister Judy about her art work for an article HERE.

Temple Mishkan Israel, which was built in 1899, is in the background, and you can read more about Selma's Jewish history HERE.

To view more butterfly sculptures, click on over to The Butterfly Project blog.

Temple Mishkan Israel

When Selma had a much larger Jewish population, Temple Mishkan Israel regularly served as the place of worship. Built in 1899, the synagogue is primarily used for special services now.

The Jewish presence began growing here in the 1830s. Many came from Western Europe, some to work in early industrialist Phillip John Weaver's 11 businesses or to begin businesses themselves. Others came as merchants, traveling the Alabama River from Mobile to Selma. Through World War II, downtown Selma was dominated by Jewish businesses: Rothschild's, Kayser's, Teppers, Bendersky's, Eagle's, Boston Bargain, Barton's, Adler Furniture, Siegel Automobile, Bloch Brothers Hardware, Schuster Hardware, Hohenberg Cotton Company, Kahn Brick, Lewis Cigar, American Candy.

They were civic-minded as well. Selma has had three Jewish mayors, several city council presidents, chamber of commerce presidents and others. During World War II, refugees from Europe were sponsored by local people.