Wilshire Boulevard Temple

Congregation Talmud Torah, more commonly known as the Breed Street Shul, was a keystone in the Jewish community in Boyle Heights and nearby City Terrace from the 1920s through the 1950s. Architecturally, it was among the most monumental of the few dozen synagogues that were built in the area at the time, leading locals to nickname it "The Queen of the Shuls." The Shul's orthodox congregation was first established in 1904. As a young congregation, its members initially met in private houses near First Street. In 1915, they purchased the lot where the Shul stands today, constructing a wood-framed school building and small synagogue. The current synagogue was built several years later and dedicated in 1923. Architect Abram M. Edelman, whose father was Los Angeles' first rabbi, designed the Shul in the Byzantine Revival style, with round arches, bas-relief ornamentation, and dichromatic brickwork. The interior walls were adorned with illustrations reminiscent of Eastern European folk art. The result was a building that conjured up an old-world sensibility, fostering a spirit of community among the largely immigrant congregation.

breedstreetshul.org

Hours of Operation Monday - Thursday12:00PM - 3:00PM and 5:00PM - 10:00PM Friday 9:00AM - 3:00PM Saturday: Closed Sunday: 1:00PM - 10:00PM

www.lennyscasita.com

Holocaust Museum LA is the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust museum in the United States. Its genesis dates to the 1960s, when a group of survivors met and discovered that each of them had a photograph, document, or personal item from before the war. They decided that these artifacts needed a permanent home where they could be displayed safely and in perpetuity. They also wanted a place to memorialize their loved ones who perished and help to educate the public so that no one would ever forget.

www.holocaustmuseumla.org

The historic Wilshire Boulevard Temple (formerly Congregation B'nai B'rith) is the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles, established in 1862, and is a National Historic Landmark. The temple, known for its striking Byzantine Revival architecture, was dedicated in 1929 and features a prominent 100-foot dome and elaborate interior. This congregation has three locations: the historic Erika J Glazer Family Campus in Wilshire Center/Koreatown, the modern Audrey and Sydney Irmas Campus in West Los Angeles, and the Resnick Family Campus in Brentwood. All campuses offer services and worship, adult programs, life cycle events, volunteer and social action opportunities, as well as cultural and educational events. Many of the cultural activities are open to the wider public. Modelled after Rome's Pantheon, the immense Byzantine Revival dome is 100 feet (30 m) in diameter; its top is 135 feet (41 m) above the street.[9] Its base is flanked by 28 buttresses, or small towers, rising from the ring girder for support. Funding for the dome's interior decoration was donated by Irving Thalberg, production head of MGM studio. The prayer inscribed in Hebrew around the Oculus, at the apex of the interior coffered dome, is from the shm'a prayer. Designed in the Gothic tradition by the Oliver Smith Studios of Pennsylvania, the Temple's distinctive rose window on the south wall of the sanctuary, and stained glass windows on the east and west walls, have been described as being among the finest examples of this art form in the United States. The Rose Window depicts a Torah Scroll and a Star of David in the center, and symbols of the Twelve Tribes of Israel in the outer circle. The triple lancet windows on the east and west walls are each made up of some 5,000-6,000 pieces of glass and are the symbolic representation of the 12 tribes of Israel. Funding for the east and west lancet windows was donated by film producer and studio head Louis B. Mayer.

www.wbtla.org