OUTSIDE IN B’nai’sTrees beachbites The exterior facades are unassuming, but inside Chestnut Street’s B’nai Israel Congregation, serenity and peaceful-ness envelop the sanctuary walls. The synagogue windows are incredible, with new stained-glass oak tree mosaics signifying the Tree of Life, a central image in Judaism. From the east, where the morning sun shines, the large oak tree is presented in five panels, creating a reflective, somber tone. In English, the phrase “It Is A Tree Of Life” appears on the tree trunk. The same phrase is inscribed in Hebrew on the opposite wall, where the tree’s branches shoot outward, now alive. In the sunlight, color tones lighten and illuminate the synagogue. “I wanted the east side to honor the Jewish faith and all of those who’ve suffered,” says artist Pam Toll. “But as the sun rises and sets on the west side, the hall becomes illuminated through the lighter shades and brings forth a message of hope, love and life.” Toll was one member of a team from the University of North Carolina Wilmington who, with men of the congregation, helped design, fabricate By CULLEN LEA | Photography by ALLISON POTTER 16 WBM december 2014
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