The Story of the Warner Murals 

Opening the  Discussion of the Warner Murals at Wilshire Boulevard Temple 
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  • Wilshire Boulevard Temple is the third home of the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles. Established in 1862 as Congregation B'nei Brith, the previous two buildings were in downtown L.A. which was the heart of the Jewish community  in the 19th century. Click here for New Roots in L.A.-- the lesson plans which explore this history  (Slides 1-3)
  • As the city continued to expand west in the 1920's, and as his congregation continued to grow, Rabbi Magnin had a clear sense that the Jewish community would also begin moving further west. With the explosion of cars in L.A. Wilshire Boulevard was transforming into a central artery of travel through the city and many architecturally impressive houses of worship were rising on this vibrant new street. Further west on Wilshire,  Miracle Mile was being developed as a new center, drawing downtown residents to big new department stores with parking lots. Rabbi Magnin wanted the influential Wilshire Boulevard Temple, to be in the center of this new development. (Slides 4-7)
  • A lot of thought went into the design of the new Temple as there were many new architectural trends in American Synagogue design. The new Temple needed to have enough room for a growing congregation so the sanctuary was designed in Neo-Byzantine style, with a massive dome rising above the open seating. (Slides 8-10)
  • Rabbi Magnin had recently returned from visiting some of the great cathedrals of Europe which used imagery and religious paintings to create a more spiritual experience. (Slides 11-14)
  • Magnin was also most likely aware of the archaeological discoveries of ancient synagogues being found in the the 1920's and 30's. Beit Alpha Synagogue in Israel, and Dura Europas Synagogue in Syria, had mosaic floors and wall paintings depicting biblical scenes. Inspired by what he saw, he made a bold and historic decision to be the first Jewish sanctuary (in modern times) to make extensive use of paintings. He believed that showing Jewish history in figurative form, would, "stimulate the imagination and curiosity for deeper knowledge about our own traditions.” (Slides 15-20) 
  • When Rabbi Magnin decided  to include an expansive mural in the new sanctuary, it was a bold, but controversial act. The Second         Commandment tells us "Thou shalt not make for yourself a graven image...., or the likeness of anything which is in the heaven above or the earth beneath," and this was taken literally; synagogues did not display images or sculptures of people or representations from the Bible. (Slide 21) 
  • By including the murals, Magnin reasoned that, "Since the beginning of time temples and churches have always been noted for their mural decorations. In fact, there can be no great architecture without them...In the first place, they are pleasing to the eye, and stimulating to the imagination...The day is over when liberal-minded people are likely to worship images and paintings, and so we decided to place them on the walls of our Wilshire Boulevard Temple in such a manner as not to conflict with the Jewish spirit, but rather to revive it." (Slides 22-23)
  • In the 1920's the movie industry was exploding in Los Angeles and many prominent movie studio heads were members of Wilshire Boulevard Temple. They were producing silent films, including epic stories from Biblical times such as  The Ten Commandments, Noah's Ark, Ben Hur and Samson and Delilah-- and people were  hungry for these visual stories. Magnin believed that incorporating  murals in the Sanctuary was a way for his modern, American, Reform Temple, in the capital of the movie industry, to embrace the spirit of hiddur mitzvah ("Beautifying the Commandment") as well as embrace the spirit of the times. Magnin explained that, "In this modern age, when people are less familiar with the Bible and Jewish history, I thought it wise to depict some of the great prophets and sages. These paintings together with the stained-glass windows and the hanging chandeliers, which were patterned after the spice boxes used in the Havdalah service at the end of the Sabbath, create a deep religious atmosphere. One can sit in the Temple in almost absolute darkness and in solitude and feel the mystic presence of God.” (Slides 24-30)
  • As Rabbi Magnin planned the new grand Temple which would rise on Wilshire Boulevard, many members of the motion picture industry donated generously: Producer Irving Thalberg donated the cost of painting the Shema prayer  surrounding  the oculus, at the center of the dome. Louis B. Mayer donated the stained-glass windows. Carl Laemmle donated the cost of the bronze Havdalah spice box-inspired chandeliers; and, three Warner brothers, Jack, Harry and Abraham, not only donated funds, but also the services of their studio art designer and painter Hugo Ballin, to create the murals which transformed the sanctuary. (Slides 31-34)
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Second Commandment (Exodus 20:3-6): You shall have no other gods beside Me. You shall not make for yourself any graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them, for I, the Lord Your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

MURAL TERMS
  • Frieze:  a band of decoration running along the wall of a room, usually just below the ceiling.
  • Lunette:  a semicircular panel on a wall, containing a window, painting, or frieze.   
  • Spandrel: The triangular space between two arches which is frequently decorated. 
  • Fresco: a painting or mural created on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling, so that the colors penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dries.
PictureMoses Crossing the Red Sea, Dura Europas Synagogue
The Earliest Known Synagogue Art 
In 1928 Yale University began excavating a ancient city in Syria, called Dura Europas. Once a Roman outpost on the Euphrates River, the the synagogue uncovered there was built in the year 245 C.E. and its walls were covered with paintings in the style of the times. Ancient friezes of Jewish heros, Biblical scenes and Jewish ceremonial objects that provided some of the finest examples of ancient Jewish art. As Rabbi Magnin was planning the design for Wilshire Boulevard Temple, it was likely he was aware of this remarkable, and unusual discovery of Synagogue art created 1700 years earlier. 
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