Tablet Magazine - a new read on Jewish life

The Washington D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a familiar icon to Beltway drivers. Visible from the highway in suburban Maryland, this landmark stands seven stories tall, with pristine white spires jetting upward from the tree line. Due to the closed nature of LDS religious practices, the temple has remained a thing of mystery to most nonmembers since it opened in 1974. This year, however, the temple is opening its doors to the public—including the media—to mark its extensive renovation, with an emphasis on change, both architectural and spiritual, from the inside out.  It was a drizzly day when I arrived for a press tour in late April, but it was easy to forget the weather upon entering the brightly lit D.C. Temple visitors’ center, where the last of the day’s three groups of media were greeted with welcoming smiles by temple staff and volunteers, and shown to a generous charcuterie spread. It included disposable wooden plates, water bottles emblazoned with a stylized image of the temple, and chocolate chip cookies that were just the right ratio of firm-to-chewy. This was far from the imposing projection the majestic white structure conveys to uninitiated D.C. commuters, evocative in enough people’s imaginations of the Wizard of Oz’s Emerald City that nearby overpass graffiti over the years has frequently, prominently, conveyed the message “SURRENDER DOROTHY.”  ...

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