Sanctuary Renovations

Sunday’s re-dedication of our sanctuary – on the last night of the celebration of the re-dedication of the Second Temple – was wonderful. It was heart-warming to see so many people there, including many we’d not seen in a long while.

The entryway was festooned with balloons and a large banner hung overhead proclaiming, “Mazel tov!” Members of the Board handed glasses of champagne to everyone (over 21, of course!) as they arrived. Cards bearing the names of all the donors to our Capital Campaign were attached to ribbons stretching from the front door to the Ark and back again. Interspersed among the names were “price tags” to remind us of the need for additional fundraising for items still on our wish list, e.g. a fully-renovated and accessible kitchen, furniture for the lounge, repainting of hallways, getting rid of the last of that green and white checkered linoleum, and more.

Drew Lowery blew the shofar to gather the masses inside the sanctuary. As people flowed in, the fabulous sound of the EC Trio (Stanley Sagov, Armond Cohen, and John Lockwood) played in the background.

The Rabbi greeted and thanked all those who had contributed in so many ways. She spoke movingly about the late Steve Alexander, whose $25,000 bequest to EC got this show on the road. We were thrilled to have Steve’s daughter, Nina, cut the ribbon.

Following the Rabbi’s remarks, the Torah was paraded back to its home in the Ark by a procession of our illustrious former presidents, Cindy Landau, Stanley Sagov, Adeane Bregman, Penina Weinberg and our current president, Pam Klein.

David Salomon expressed his appreciation of everyone’s contributions, of money and of their time. The Design Team logged countless hours of devoted work during weekly meetings for more than a year. In alphabetical order: Larry Borins (who stepped up to take some of the burden off of David Salomon’s shoulders), David Cane (who is responsible for the soon-to-be-installed remote-control operated shades for the clerestory windows), Bill Donaldson (who jumped into the fray to make some last-minute installations), Lorraine Fine, Eric Grunebaum, Steffie Levinson, Drew Lowery, David Salomon, Gail Trachtenberg (who provided consultation prior to the hiring of Elton Hampton Associates) and Suzanne Watzman. Larry, Steffie and Suzanne also worked closely with Leslie Saul and Associates on color and fabric selection. We are gratef​​ul to the entire Design Team for its dedication to our sanctuary’s re-dedication.

To express the Congregation’s appreciation to David, the Rabbi presented him with two gifts: a tree-shaped hanukkiah for him to take home, and a gorgeous tree-shaped mezuzah, which David had the honor of hanging at the entrance to the sanctuary.

The festivities ended with a group sing-along of one of the Rabbi’s wonderful, custom-composed songs following which we all ate delicious cake. Our thanks to Gail Trachtenberg, Pam Klein & Trader Joe’s for providing the refreshments!