The concrete Star of David found in a storage room at West End Synagogue, formerly the Gay Street Synagogue

Blueprint of the Gay Street Synagogue with star pictured at the top

Closeup of the star in the Gay Street Synagogue façade.

As you all may recall, Jacob Potash and I discovered a mysterious concrete Star of David in the back storage a while back. For over a year, we have been trying to find its origin. Well, with the help of our own Librarian, Susan Pankowsky and Federation Archivist, Lynn Fleischer, we may have an answer. Susan and Lynn visited the Tennessee State Library and Archives and discovered architectural drawings for the Gay Street Synagogue. Apparently, there was a large medallion on the front of the building (see architectural drawing above). Lynn measured the drawing to scale, and it is the same size as our mysterious star. While we do not know if this is indeed the original home of our Star of David, it is safe to say, based on the evidence presented, that our mystery has been solved!