Campus
Congregation Micah rests on over 30 plus acres of sacred
grounds on which members can explore their Jewish life. Sitting on the Little Harpeth River and located
just off the intersection of Hillsboro Road and Old Hickory Boulevard (on the line
between Davidson and Williamson Counties) our community serves members in
Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, and beyond.
Our Sanctuary
seats over 250 people and yet because of its semi-circle design remains quite
intimate. Its outer walls are able to be
opened for larger events such as the High Holy Days so that we can accommodate
approximately 1,000 people. Central to
the room are the beautiful ark doors, imported from Israel, which are lit from
behind and display the Hebrew text of the Ten Commandments. The steel beams protruding from the top of
the ark number seven symbolizing the days of creation and the consummate Jewish
symbol, the menorah. During the day,
the outer glass walls located behind the Ark provide a transparent connection
with the beautiful nature surrounding our building. At night, a special coating on the outer
glass wall becomes opaque, creating an intimate gathering space for celebrating
evening services. Day or night, our
strong tradition of participatory singing of both traditional and modern Jewish
music (some written by our own "music industry" members!) enriches
our services with a meaningful mixture of both substance and song. The architects of the sanctuary even won an
award for its design!
Our Chapel offers
us another sacred space to gather for more intimate affairs. Its stained glass bears the names and symbols
of the 12 tribes of Israel. Its contemporary
design and movable chairs afford us another place to gather for study, meeting,
and prayer.
The Social Hall
at Congregation Micah is a place for members to gather after services for Oneg Shabbat;
for special events, programs, and parties; and for Sunday morning bagels. Located just outside the social hall is a
patio for outdoor activities.
A full commercial kitchen
at Micah allows approved
caterers to prepare food for Shabbat Kiddish luncheons, dinners, and special
meals. It also provides a space for our religious school students to learn how to cook Jewish foods.
A Memorial
Garden sits on the outside border of our cemetery. A place to pause before passing through the
cemetery gates, the garden was dedicated to honor the memory of Mara Millman
who lost her life at the age of 22. The
garden includes a circular place to gather for havdalah, story-telling, special classes, and events.
The Micah campus also includes classroom space for our pre-school,
Micah Children's Academy, and it is shared with our vibrant Religious School and a
variety of Adult Education courses; included in the education wing are two
multi-purpose rooms with glass doors that lead to another outside patio space. Adjacent to the school wing is a natural play-scape where young children
can play. There is also a planted vegetable and flower
garden that we use for educational purposes.
The library at
Micah houses several volumes covering a
wide range of Judaic topics including Bible, spirituality, history, holidays, cooking,
fiction, picture books, and a variety of
non-fiction topics. Our reference
section encompasses the Bible, Talmud, Jewish encyclopedias, Hebrew/English
dictionaries and many other resources. We
serve a diverse population including Religion School students and members looking for the next great Jewish
book.
The Micah Gift Shop sells
a variety of seasonal and year-round Judaica. Its proceeds benefit our confirmation class trip.