Our vision is to create a welcoming campus for our members to participate as a community of like-minded people. Our goal is to develop an environment which will invite people to join together to share those experiences which engage and create Jewish souls: learning, worshiping, celebrating, socializing, and healing the world together in ways that connect us to our Jewish heritage and a Jewish future.
Our current synagogue is overcrowded, out of space and our facilities are being stretched well beyond their maximum capacity. Our building was built in 1972 for a congregation of approximately 450 families. Today, our membership totals 625 families or more than 2,000 people. In addition to religious worship, the synagogue is currently being used for religious education classes, a nursery school and countless other programs.
The new building will feature an addition that is in keeping with the architectural integrity of the historic existing building yet address the needs of the current congregation and improve the overall functionality of the building. It would be designed to fit appropriately within the natural setting of our property.
There will be a beautiful new social hall where our members can celebrate b’nei mitzvah, weddings and other special events. The social hall will be flexibly designed to accommodate events of all sizes and feature a pre-function foyer for cocktail parties, a bridal room and a state-of-the-art kitchen.
The plan will allow the sanctuary to be fully available for worship and lifecycle events by relocating classrooms which currently surround the perimeter of the sanctuary. The sanctuary will be fully restored to its original splendor with all new lighting.
The religious and nursery school facilities for our children will be enhanced with the addition of dedicated classrooms, assembly space and an outdoor play area.
We will also design a new and more inviting entrance to the building that will improve access and security.
Dear Friends:
Throughout our lives we face many challenges that require great strength. We find that strength in those we love: our family and our friends. We also draw strength from the values we cherish: the timeless ideals of our ancient faith. And we find strength in that priceless treasure which has always been present for our people as a symbol of hope and stability. That treasure is the synagogue.
We have embarked on a major program to expand our synagogue in order to meet the needs of our growing congregation. The new structure, a Center for Jewish Life, will evoke memories of the Eastern European shtetl in which our sanctuary might have been found. It will house a new social hall for lifecycle celebration and alternative worship services. It will allow us to dedicate our sanctuary as a sanctuary; no more will it be a waiting room and busy thoroughfare. It will also create appropriate learning environments for all our students, adults and children alike. Generations of Jews will find community there, form their most cherished friendships there, and celebrate life’s greatest joys there.
Thanks to our extraordinarily generous congregation, I am pleased to report that our capital campaign is off to a great start. This is the greatest opportunity many of us have had or will have to leave our mark on the future of Jewish life. And when such an opportunity presents itself, it becomes our personal responsibility to seize it.
Many years from now another generation will look back and say, “When the members of Temple Beth El built this beautiful Campus of Living Judaism, they all participated, each and every one of them. And they built it for us. No dream is beyond our reach.”
Sincerely,
Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson
