JEWISH CHAPEL
HISTORY: President Dwight
Eisenhower signed the bill authorizing the establishment of the
academy April 1, 1954.
Architecturally, the synagogue
is a circle within a square The circular design symbolizes the
global mission of the Air Force and the everlasting presence of
God. The surrounding foyer is paved with 1,631 pieces of
Jerusalem brownstone donated by the Israeli Defense Forces.
The walls of the foyer are purple stained glass panels
alternating with green and blue stained accent windows. The
circular walls of the synagogue are panels of translucent glass
separated by stanchions of Israeli cypress.
The paintings, done by Shlomo
Katz in 1985, are grouped by theme and each has a Biblical
basis.
The focal point of the Jewish
Chapel is the Aaron Kodesh, the Holy Ark, which shelters the
Scrolls of the Torah. The Eternal Light hangs to the right of
the Ark. Nested in three Stars of David, it symbolizes the
ever-present God within the life of the Jewish People.
In the foyer of the chapel is a
display cabinet with a Torah Scroll that was saved from the
Nazis during World War II. It was found in Poland in 1989 in an
abandoned warehouse and donated to the Jewish Chapel in April
1990. This "Holocaust Torah" is dedicated to the memory of all
of those who fought against the Nazis.
The synagogue is the only one
of the three cadet chapels with individual chairs for the
congregates. It seats 100 people. |
