Today, there must be more room between rows. As long as the congregation did not renovate, the old arrangement could stay. Once a renovation began, the seating had to conform to code. On the bimah, the old marble ark was removed and replaced with the one that comes out from the back wall. With a Jerusalem Stone finish, the large ark is reminiscent of the Old City.
Acoustic fabric covers the back wall of the bimah, covering the old wood.
One item from the past that was recovered is the floor in the foyer on the Highland Avenue side of the building. When the carpet was removed, workers discovered a forgotten marble floor underneath. When the state of Alabama holds its official Holocaust commemoration on May 2 at the State Capitol Building, it will be the first under the State Holocaust Commission. Paul Filben of Mobile heads the commission, which was approved by the legislature last year. The commission will be responsible for overseeing Holocaust education and commemorations in the state, promoting awareness of the WWII genocide.