Sanctuary Renovations

It was years in the making, but no one in the crowd at Eitz Chayim on Dec. 13 would deny that our energy, perseverance and treasure were worth the trouble as we reveled in the results.

We didn’t just close out Chanukah with a bang, we sipped champagne and nibbled Hors-d’oeuvres and hugged and congratulated one another for all the efforts that led to this day.

We teared up when Rabbi Stern asked Steve Alexander’s daughter, Nina, to cut the ribbon. We watched the last fingers of light release the day through tiered skylights where once we saw only exposed pipes and putty-colored paint.

We saw our Torah arrive in the new and improved sanctuary by a parade of past presidents, and then basked in the shehecheyanu of being able to see the Torah and the Ark from any vantage point in the room.

There was not a hint of the nostalgia that some may remember when obstructed views disappeared with the old Boston Garden. If anyone misses the concrete pillars that were part of the architectural sensibility of an old concrete block nursing home at 136 Magazine St., let him.

On the last night of Chanukah, as the Boston Globe noted, we were busy celebrating our ability to overwhelm our own sense of limitation. We saw construction chief David Salomon continue to be humble and understated even as he finally accepted some recognition through ovations, a few gifts, and best of all a gorgeous shiny mezuzah that he affixed to its permanent perch at the sanctuary entrance.

We heard inspiring words from Rabbi Stern and then, fortunately, former President Penina Weinberg added an integral yet unplanned thank-you to Rabbi Stern for all she did to nudge us and encourage us and lead us to this day.

We heard kudos from fundraiser extraordinaire Ann Braude for mustering 100 percent financial support for the project, and also let us know that we had exceeded the budget and still have a ways to go before we can call this campaign over.

Then we turned our attention back to what we HAVE done. We raised the roof, as the Cambridge Chronicle noted, let in the light, and triumphed over great odds to create a new spiritual home at the same address of the ugly, labyrinthine space we long endured.
We always told one another that it was the heart and soul of the congregation that mattered. And it does. We will soar with our view of the sky and stay home for the High Holy Days and many future simchot.

-Judy Rakowsky