History of GLT

In 1998, a group of brave and enthusiastic families in the North Fulton Metro Atlanta area came together with a shared mission: to fill a void in the northern suburbs for a conservative synagogue. At the time, there was a real need for any kind of synagogue in the area. After several community meetings to gauge interest and begin organizing, the North Fulton Jewish Center was born.

For a year, we held services in neighborhood clubhouses, but it quickly became clear that we needed a permanent place to call home. In 1999, we purchased a small ranch house in Alpharetta, providing us with a physical space to gather, share, educate, and grow. The house had a detached garage, where we initially held services. Later, as the garage was expanded and converted into a preschool, services were held in what had once been the kitchen and living room. The bedrooms served as offices and classrooms for our rapidly growing preschool and religious school.

During this time, the congregation decided to adopt a new name. Inspired by the area's many road names and our desire to strengthen our connection to Jewish religion and culture, we chose the name Congregation Gesher L'Torah, meaning "Bridge to Torah." Over time, we’ve come to affectionately be called "GLT."

As word spread about the new conservative synagogue in North Fulton, our congregation grew quickly. With growth, however, came greater needs—more families, more children, and more space. We expanded the preschool, religious school, and prayer space. The GLT campus began to take shape as we added a purpose-built modular education building. In March of 2003, we celebrated a double Bat Mitzvah, just one hour after receiving our certificate of occupancy. But the space requirements didn’t end there. As the religious school continued to expand, a second modular facility was added, which served as both a social hall and additional classrooms.

By 2008, ten years after starting with just 12 families, we had grown to over 100 families. It was time for the biggest project in Gesher L'Torah's history. After searching the area for a new location, we decided that the best place to build our new permanent home was right where we were—4320 Kimball Bridge Road.

In preparation for the move, we relocated our offices and preschool to a nearby shopping center storefront, and held religious school classes at a local middle school on weekends. We embarked on a year-long building project, and in January 2009, Phase I of the Gesher L'Torah building plan was complete. We moved into our beautiful new facility, which included offices, preschool and religious school spaces, and a sanctuary.

Looking ahead, we are excited about our continued growth and are committed to expanding and evolving to meet the needs of our community for years to come.