Beth Tefillah Renovates Social Hall, Torah Center
Several offices were also renovated as part of the project.
Beth Tefillah Chabad has reinvented its mission by undergoing extensive renovations to accommodate a variety of social events, pre-school and daycare activities, religious gatherings and daily prayers led by Rabbi Yossi New, director of Chabad of Georgia, and Senior Rabbi of Beth Tefillah.
The renovation is currently underway and is in its final demolishing state, preparing to launch its rebuilding phase.
“We are limited to our current footprint. We need to maximize the space to meet the needs of our growing and diverse community,”” Rabbi New explains.
Dassie New, director of Chaya Mushka Children’s House and Rebbetzin of the Beth Tefillah community, shared that “the renovation will allow us to offer multiple programs for our students at the same time,” allowing more options for daily school programs during winter or during extremely hot days.
However, apart from improving the social hall, the new accommodation will expand the Torah Center from 1,000 square feet to 1,700 square feet, demolishing a few office spaces thus allowing more space for daily community prayers and adult education led by Rabbi Ari Sollish, founder and director of the Torah Center ATL.
Beth Tefillah hosts the Torah Center of Atlanta, an independent adult education organization and affiliate of Chabad of Georgia. It offers classes, lectures, and retreats for the wider Jewish community.
Rabbi Yossi New and wife, Dassi New, bought their home circa 1987, that served as both shul and preschool downstairs in their basement, while the New family lived upstairs. Interestingly, the building that stands humbly on High Point Road today was the first edition of Beth Tefillah back in late 1980s, as explained by Rabbi New.
Rabbi New shared that the $2 million project will also address deferred maintenance for both indoor and outdoor needs, “it is still a community effort, and everybody realizes the importance of it. It is the easiest fundraising I’ve experienced because everybody truly understands the necessity of it being for everyone. It’s their community. But I do want to get closer to 100 percent participation since we haven’t finished the fundraising yet.”
The same design team working on the current project is the team that planned the congregation’s sanctuary, as well as for Emory and East Cobb Chabad.
Rabbi New said, “They have tremendous experience with Chabad and synagogue infrastructure and design,” adding that “our sanctuary is 30 years old, yet still has a timeless look.”
Rabbi New takes particular pride in the exquisite framework of the sanctuary’s Mechitza (dividers), theming Jacob’s Ladder with gilded angels descending and ascending to and fro the heavens. He explained the intricacies of the artwork of the Mechitza where “the blue and aquas are the discussion in the Talmud reflecting on ‘what’s the earliest time in the day where you can start reciting Shema Israel prayer,’ indicating where one can decipher the changes in the skies turning from blue to green.” It was also important to him that both men and women have an unobstructed view of service, noting that the only difference is that the men’s side has the four steps leading up to read the Torah.
The next concept for the design committee was to install a nursing room by the social hall’s entrance as opposed to the old model, leaving nursing mothers by the bathroom, in chairs and exposed to noise and lack of serenity.
Dassie New expressed her gratitude to the growing community, indicating that “our congregation has had a huge influx of young mothers move in so we are full of new energy and lots of babies and children of all ages,” and continues to reflect that, “the nursing baby room is unique in that it has a bench that curves around the walls with pillows to grab for comfort, instead of a few chairs. This was an idea by one of our moms due to the significant time of nursing moms that could be there simultaneously.”
To keep things moving with as little distraction as possible, they’re going to tackle the social hall, and main hallway first, then the Torah Center and office spaces.
While the old building will certainly be missed, Rabbi New looks back with deep sentiment on its most pivotal milestones. Chief among them are the congregation’s 40th anniversary celebration and a deep personal memory from the hall set to be remodeled: his son, Isser’s, bar mitzvah more than 30 years ago.
As Beth Tefillah looks toward the completion of the Torah Center by Passover of 2027 and the social hall by year’s end, the community isn’t just updating bricks and mortar. They are investing in a vibrant future, ensuring that the spaces where milestones like Isser’s bar mitzvah were once celebrated will continue to host simchas, learning, and connection for the next generation … l’dor v’dor.