Bimah

The bimah—the platform from which the Torah is read—had been reconfigured during the building’s half-century as a church, and it was not initially clear how to recreate its original appearance.

Turner Memorial renovated the interior in accordance with African Methodist Episcopal doctrine. The aron hakodesh (Holy Ark) and bimah (altar/platform) were removed and replaced with an area for the choir and an organ. The bimah railing was removed and reinstalled closer to the ground.

Stanley Warsaw z”l and Selma Linchuck Warsaw’s photographs of their 1949 wedding, which had taken place in the sanctuary, supplied the necessary guidance to restore the shape and appearance of the original bimah and the Holy Ark, in which the Torah scrolls are placed.

  • Reconstruction of the bimah begins.

  • The recreated bimah, a blend of restored and reconstructed woodwork.