The Temple Bombing of 1958

Between 3:30 and 3:45 AM on the twelfth of October 1958, explosives detonated at The Temple, a Reformed Jewish synagogue in Atlanta, Georgia. People in surrounding areas reported hearing a "loud explosion." Police later discovered the bomb was made of 50 sticks of dynamite. No one was injured.

The bomb was placed by a concrete column near the north entrance of the building. The cost to repair the building was $200,000, which would equal around $1,700,000 today. Several areas of the main auditorium remained undamaged while the Hebrew school was nearly destroyed, as well as much of the building's facade. The holy arc, where the Torahs (Hebrew scrolls) were kept, remained untouched. 

President Eisenhower made a statement condemning this act of terrorism and made sure the FBI were involved in the investigation. He also communicated with several key Jewish-American leaders including Rabbi Joachim Prinz, the president of the American Jewish Conference, to discuss how to improve racial and religious relations across the country. 

Bright attempted to capitalize off of the trial as much as he could by attempting to make himself known amongst America's far-right groups by holding meetings and attempting to publish his experience. While writing a response to someone interested in selling his story, Bright includes that he is studying law with plans to become a Criminal Lawyer. He fervently proclaims that "this country is SICK and decadent and that precious thing called 'justice' no longer exists for the White man."

George Bright, as previously mentioned, was a member of multiple white nationalist groups. The Jim Crow era not only promoted racism, but religious persecution as well. There was a widespread belief amongst Bright and his constituents that the 'Other' was taking over the country. The 'Other' was often black people and Jews, who consequently supported each other. This ideology drove many to violence against the 'Other', including the people involved in the bombing. 

Attacks against Jewish houses of worship occurred in the 1950s at a disturbingly rapid rate. The bombers were rarely held accountable, which only emboldened them and their comrades to continue committing these crimes. 

Unfortunately, the culprits of the bombings against Jewish houses of worship were rarely caught. If suspects were apprehended, as was the case in the Atlanta Bombing, they were rarely sentenced despite a plethora of evidence.

Congress and politicians prohibited the FBI from intervening in certain circumstances. Often, there was a grey area in the laws that detailed jurisdictional rights. More than that, there was trend of lawlessness and resistance to desegregation rulings among politicians, especially southern politicians, that goaded on the bombers. Ralph McGill, acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winning columnist, compared this trend to a "harvest." He famously noted that "it is not possible to preach lawlessness and restrict it." 

The Atlanta Temple bombing was widely covered all over the country and featured in major publications. Atlanta journalist, Ralph McGill, won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Temple Bombing. The media coverage played a large role in the rapid response from law enforcement and President Eisenhower. In many ways, the heavy coverage is what turned the event into a catalyst of change in the south.

Atlanta's Jewish community rallied in support of the Temple. The first service after the bombing on October 17th, 1958, just 5 days after the bombing, saw attendance grow by hundreds of people. Rabbi Rothschild made a poignant sermon, "...And None Shall Make Them Afraid," that embodied the spirit of the Jewish people and those fighting for civil rights.

The Atlanta Jewish Times published a piece about the bombing thirty years after the event took place. Janice Rothschild, the widow of Rabbi Rothschild, described the event as "the bomb that healed." The effects of the bombing were likely the opposite intended by the bombers. It brought the community together, and it strengthened the relations between the Jewish community and other communities. The bomb is still remembered today as a catalyst of positive racial and religious relations in Atlanta.