Beth Jacob Synagogue New Sanctuary Dedication

Dedication

The new sanctuary was dedicated today by a crowd of about 80 people including members and local officials. Above, Rabbi Michal Woll leads the religious school children in a version of "Ma Tovu" with words revised for the event. Below, Michael Chernick and Max Hale install the new mezuzah created by David Hale on the doorpost.

More Finishing Touches

We continue to inch toward completion of the building as the contractor works through the "punch list." The sign is now on the side of the building and various other small things have been finished. The carpet for the bimah is still missing, but most other visible changes have been finished. Our celebratory open house and Hanukat ha Bayit will be on Sunday, November 14, from 12:30 until 2:00 pm. Hope to see you all there!

Finishing Touches

The reconstruction is almost complete! The congregation is moving in and there are just a few finishing touches left to complete! The sanctuary has been in use now for three weeks while the contractor has been completing the final tasks. We are now in the "punch list" phase, where the contractor has been given a list of final items that need to be completed. Our "Chanukat haBayit" open house will be on Sunday, November 14, at 12 noon. We hope to have a better picture of the finished exterior to post before then but there won't be any more postings for two weeks as we are taking a vacation!

More Finishes

Wow! The new finishes just keep coming. Take a look at these two new shots. The top photo shows the new blue accent wall at the north end of the sanctuary and the bottom photo shows the finished maple wall around the bookcase at the southern wall. The bottom photo shows some simple landscaping around the exterior. More extensive landscaping is going to have to wait until the second phase of the project. Still to come in this phase is more paint on the exterior, a rug under the bimah and moving the ark and reading table into place, and couple of built-in benches, and some finishing details on the interior.

Exterior Color

The contractor has started painting the exterior of the new building. The final color can be seen in the photo above. The "addition" at the back of the building will be painted a deep gray/blue color to contrast with the new building at the front. Only two sides of the new structure have been painted so far; rain today will not advance the cause, but the painters will be working inside today.

Moving In

Religious school students, their parents, and other members of the congregation began the process of moving into our new space this afternoon. And what a hubbub of activity it was. Everyone said the shehechiyanu and Rabbi Woll lead the students and parents in some welcoming songs, including a special song that the kids will sing at the November 14th opening event. Then the chairs and books starting arriving. People spread throughout the building carrying chairs and unpacking boxes. There is still more work to be done on the building and more unpacking to do, but we got a good start of the process today.