Building Update – September 2008

After nearly two years of construction, the renovations and additions to Congregation Beth Emeth are virtually complete. Representatives of Dave Hall Construction Company estimate that the project is now 99.9 % finished. To the Congregation that means the school is in full operation, this year’s High Holy Days will be observed at Beth Emeth, and Temple activities are once again in full swing.

The most recent work has been the substantial completion of the third and final phase of the project which includes the library/board room, Temple and clergy offices, conference room, classroom renovations, youth lounge, memorial alcove, main hallway, rest rooms, coat room, and additional landscaping.

Along the way there have been dedications as significant parts of the building were finished. Now there are plans to dedicate and celebrate the completion of the whole project on the Shabbat of Succot—Friday, October 17^th—and on Sunday, October 19^th from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Sunday’s activities will include the annual Succot Festival for the children and parents followed by a Klezmer concert. The Special Events Committee is also planning tours, crafts, and activities for everyone to enjoy.

There are two chief reasons that construction has taken two years from ground breaking to dedication. First, the project was divided into three phases so that the Temple could continue its operation throughout the construction process. Second, the scope of the renovations and additions has been completely transforming. Not only were additions made to the building, but every inch of the existing structure has undergone extensive renovation and change. As Congregation President Goldbaum recently said, “. . . it certainly represents a transition from the temple of the 1950’s to the one of the 21^st century.”

It is important to remember, however, that there are still contractors’ crews at Beth Emeth working every day to finish the building tasks that remain. Exterior lighting for the sanctuary’s stained glass windows, painting, trim, and wood finishing touch-up work is still being done. Phone, electrical, data, and security work is also on-going and will need to be completed before the clergy and Temple staff can occupy their new offices. Current plans call for a mid-October move to the main building and the removal of our temporary trailers. Until then, access to the building for services will be through the main entrance, but for security reasons the school entrance will be used at all other times.

As each phase of construction was completed, a list of items needing attention called a “punch list” has been generated. Typically, the lists call for paint touch up, changing a switch plate, adding an electrical outlet, repairing a bit of frayed carpet, and similar minor repairs. If you’ve ever purchased a new home, you recognize these as the issues than arise during your final inspection. We anticipate that the work remaining at Beth Emeth including the correction of “punch list” items will extend into late October.

Each visit to Beth Emeth reveals some new touch that makes the building more beautiful than it was just days ago. It might be the color of the ceiling in the new Memorial Alcove, the discovery of the crown etched in the glass high above the main entrance, the shelves and computer stations in the new library/board room, or some other detail newly completed or simply overlooked in the past that attracts us. Just days ago more than a score of volunteers spent their Sunday planting and landscaping the outside the building. The stunning result is impossible to miss as you enter parking lot. Members of Congregation Beth Emeth are justly proud of their beautiful new home and eagerly look forward to celebrating its completion.

Building Update – May, 2008

The last two weeks of April saw a frenzy of activity from a small army of workers focused on May 1, 2008, the target date for completion of Phase II of our building construction. The date could not be shifted because that evening Wilmington’s Yom Hashoah Service, sponsored by the Rabbinical Association of Delaware, was to be held in our sanctuary. Phase II included the kitchen, social hall, and the Schenker Holocaust Memorial Garden and the Blumenfeld Path of the Righteous Gentile. The Garden and its Path were to be dedicated at the service. Everything had to be done on time, and thanks to the efforts of our construction company’s Mike Bar, Dan Palese, and their crews everything came together as planned.

The Garden and Path are magnificent. A monument stone stands at the near end of the Path as one enters the garden. On one side you can see the names of members of the Schenker family and their friends who died in the Holocaust; the other side bears just one word in Hebrew, Zachor, Remember. Mounted on the stone’s top is a menorah with its center stem broken—perhaps a symbol of the Nazi attempt to extinguish the light of Judaism; perhaps a symbol, as Rabbi Grumbacher said, it represents “Our own brokenness when we realized the enormity of the numbers.” The Path curves toward the back of the Garden. There are rails embedded in the path running from the monument to an oval bed of flowers and the bronze statues of two Jewish children: a boy carrying a Torah in one arm while his other hand touches a girl’s whose other arm holds a Sabbath menorah.

The Path circles around the children past a memorial stone on the back wall. A moving tribute to the courage, compassion, and moral conviction of the Righteous Gentiles who risked their lives to shelter and protect Jews during the Holocaust is engraved there. Though her name does not appear on the Tribute, it was written by Jean Blumenfeld. The Path then returns us to the memorial stone and its imperative to remember.

The side walls of this sacred space are important too. One wall contains more than a dozen granite stones, each engraved with the name of a place where Jews perished. In fact, all the places named on the wall have a personal connection to someone in our congregation. And so, here you will find both infamous and lesser known scenes of genocide. Mounted above the stone plaques is a curved canopy of lights that illuminates each stone at night. The opposite wall is formed by the glass windows of the school addition. From the classrooms, children have a clear view of the Garden and Path; from the Path itself, the special reflective glass of the windows is a mirror that reflects everything in the Garden. Between the walls and the Path there are beds of flowers, bushes, and trees. During almost every season of the year something will bloom in the Garden.

The social hall is also amazing. From the bemah in the sanctuary to the back wall of the social hall the space seems vast. Movable partitions can used to create one enormous room for High Holy Day services or divide the space into as many as four rooms when necessary. The newly completed lounge can also be closed off to make a fifth room. The architectural shapes of the ceiling and walls, the colors, panels, and lighting make the social hall an extension of the sanctuary, yet the beautiful carpet—though it complements that of the sanctuary—clearly makes it a different space. A large dance floor waits in the storage room next to the social hall for its first special occasion.

The kitchen, another Phase II area, is also ready for use. The old kitchen still contains the facilities for cooking and food preparation. The new kitchen expansion contains an ice machine, dish washing facilities, storage rooms, and what will become the custodians’ office.

At Building Committee meetings we speak of Phase II as “substantially complete.” That’s a reminder that there are still minor items to be completed in these areas. For example, the Garden needs benches and a light focused on the statues of the children; the kitchen needs some shelving, a little tile work, and a few more electrical outlets; the social hall needs window treatments at the back wall and a little paint touch-up; the lounge needs repair or replacement of some windows facing the corridor and some window treatments.

In the days and weeks ahead our construction company will address these issues as they move forward with Phase III: the new memorial alcove, the main office, library/board room and administrative office wing, more classrooms on the first and second floors, and our Youth Lounge. In fact, Phase III is already about 45% completed.

The target date for final completion of the building project is still September, but everyone is hopeful that the work can be finished a bit sooner. You’ve been very patient with all the inconveniences of construction, but we are already enjoying some of the benefits and the end is in sight.

Building Update – March 2008

Spring has finally arrived, and at Beth Emeth that means a frenzy of activity to meet our construction goals. May 1^st is an important date to keep in mind because that is when the new Schenker Holocaust Garden and the Blumenfeld Path of the Righteous Gentiles will be dedicated. In a few days David Klass, the artist commissioned to provide most of the memorial art, will be here to begin his installation. Our landscape designer will also arrive with special top soil, lighting, and irrigation equipment. Stone masons too will be busy in the garden setting foundations, brick, and granite.

The dedication also means that the social hall and lounge must be completed by May 1^st as well. Here the activity is intense. The back windows matching the size of the side windows have been installed, the framing, sprinkler systems, wiring, and dry wall are in place. Everything is on schedule for completion by the end of April. When finished, it will be as stunning in appearance as the new sanctuary.

While the garden and the social hall have taken precedence, work is moving forward in other areas too. The second floor is virtually stripped in preparation for its new face. The old education office, adjacent classrooms, library, and main office have seen their walls torn down and new framing for the administrative offices and rooms is in place. Though we don’t have access to these areas of the building, there are changes to be seen every day. How much longer will the construction take? Our target for final completion is this September.

As the scope and intensity of construction has increased, so has the difficulty of operating the Temple. The Phase III construction in the administrative wing and on the second floor creates so much dust and noise that our clergy and office staff can no longer remain in their present locations. Over the next two weeks they will be relocating their offices to two sixty-foot office trailers positioned at the side of the building near the new education wing. Then in September they can finally move to their new Temple offices.

When the new classrooms were designed with moveable partitions to provide greater flexibility, we never imagined just how useful that would become. When the rooms are not in use as classrooms, they have become meeting rooms, lounges and the perfect place to hold onegs. The ability to change the size of the room to fit any activity has certainly been wonderful. Fortunately, the new school wing is completely sealed off from the rest of the construction. The air is circulated through HEPA filters and its quality is carefully monitored to ensure everyone’s health. Recent tests rated the air quality as excellent, and two more tests are planned during the next two weeks to make sure that excellent rating is maintained.

As spring moves toward summer the excitement and anticipation grow as we watch our Beth Emeth home transforming before our eyes!

            Another winter has arrived and with it thoughts of chill winds blowing as congregants trudge along under a white canopy stretching from the parking lot to the Lea Boulevard entrance to Beth Emeth.  Banish the thought!  The canopy would probably not survive another winter, nor does it have to.  The new education wing entrance is now available for use during Shabbat services.  This entrance is just to the right of the nearly completed main entrance.  On Friday evenings and Saturday mornings you will find a friendly greeting from one of our staff members waiting for you at the door.

            As you move down the school hallway toward the social hall and sanctuary, you will notice homemade signs taped to new classroom doors identifying the teachers and classes.  A peek through any door’s window reveals a cheerful, new classroom with plenty of board space and carpets that feature wide swashes of color.  At the end of the corridor, a right turn leads to the new kitchen addition, but your destination is to the left.

        Just ahead through the windows at your left you will see the courtyard—about four months away from becoming the Holocaust Memorial Garden.  To the right, you catch a glimpse of construction through the windows in the lounge adjacent to the social hall, which can not be seen at all.  A few steps further along and the hallway opens to a wide gallery.  Here you see the new Judaica Shop.  The front and one side entirely of glass, this new shop is beautiful and spacious.  Its cabinets are a rich cherry color, but we can not linger here.

            We pass through a door on the right and find ourselves in the familiar world of the sanctuary lobby, but it is familiar for only a moment because we move through the sanctuary doors and into a sacred space transformed!  The lighting is wonderful.  The pews are arranged in three sections angled toward the bemah.  The pews actually come in sections of three, four, and five seats and may be arranged in many different ways to suit any occasion.  The fabric of the seats, the carpeting and walls tastefully create an atmosphere of warmth.

            Next to the bemah on the left and separated from the congregation by a low wall is a special area which holds a piano, the new organ console and room for eight singers.  Speakers for the digital organ are hidden at the sides of the bemah and along the ceiling on both sides.  What a magnificent sound the organ produces!  On the right wall a ramp runs the length of the room to make the bemah accessible.

            While most of things found in the sanctuary are completely new, there are some familiar items that were simply too precious to replace.  The stained glass windows along the side wall, for example, were originally designed by Rabbi Drooz more than half a century ago.  They have never looked better than they do today framed by modern architecture.  The crowns and marble of the wall at the back of the bemah were also retained as were the beautiful brass handles for the ark doors.  In fact, artist Efrem Weitzman, who was commissioned to create the mosaic for the ark doors and wall as well as the Ner Tamid, incorporated the crowns and handles into his magnificent design.

            When each major section of the building project is completed, city inspectors visit and issue a certificate of occupancy which allows the Congregation to use that part of the facility.  The contractor, architect, and members of the Building Committee also conduct an inspection and develop a list of items that need to be completed, changed, or repaired.  Though there are still a few items related to the sanctuary that must be done, the vast majority of corrections have been made.  These are usually very minor items, for example, each EXIT sign is attached to a white metal base.  When the right fixtures arrive, the bases will be brass.

            Within the next few weeks, construction will force our long suffering Temple staff to relocate their offices.  The main office and the school office will share space in the room that will become our library until their new offices are ready.  It’s the room with the rounded front wall to the left of the main entrance.  Classroom furniture and supplies have already begun the move to their new wing and the merchandise of the Judaica Shop is also headed for its new home.  Beth Emeth Memorial Park, which has rented office space at the Temple for many years, will also be relocated temporarily to a small room off the new kitchen addition.  Maintaining the daily operation of Beth Emeth amid the construction is often a difficult juggling act and always a challenge.

  August, 2007

            The dog days of August have arrived, and while we’re savoring the last days of summer, construction work at Beth Emeth is increasing on all fronts.  The roof is nearly completed, and the outer brick wall of the new school wing is in place.  The storage addition at the rear of the building is virtually complete.  Angular steel beams and posts suggest the shape of the canopy over the new entrance to Beth Emeth.  Left of the entrance one can see the high walls of the new library.  The windows high on the wall help us to imagine light filling the library along its sixteen foot ceiling.   To the right of the entrance canopy, one can see the smaller steel posts of the entrance to the school wing and above that entrance masons are erecting the stone walls that add so much to Beth Emeth’s beauty.  Soon work will move forward on the parking lot.

            Construction progress inside the building is no less dramatic.  Standing in the middle of the new school wing, one can see the roof and interior steel framing are complete.   Sprinkler systems, plumbing and electrical boxes are in place.  Duct work is in progress and soon the electrical and communications wiring will be installed.  In the next few weeks we will begin to see the interior walls of our new kitchen addition and classrooms.

            Our sanctuary is also the scene of intense activity.  Framing for walls and ceiling is in place and work is moving forward rapidly on the electrical, sound, and heating and cooling systems.  Particular attention is being given to the requirements of our new organ, and creating a sanctuary that is both beautiful and as acoustically perfect as we can make it.  Here too, the walls and ceiling will soon be installed and work on finishes will begin.

            Like a child on a long car ride, I want to ask, “Are we there yet?”  The sanctuary is scheduled to be completed by late November—just three months away.  The library, building entrance, and school wing should be finished by this winter.  In December we will hold a formal dedication ceremony for the new sanctuary and work will begin on the social hall.

            Throughout the long building process, the Building Committee’s greatest challenge lies in making the Temple functional in the midst of construction.  Sometimes this means temporarily moving staff and offices, as well as relocating programs and services.  Everyone in our Beth Emeth family has been very understanding and patient and we are grateful to you all.  We also deeply appreciate the kindness of the clergy and congregation of Aldersgate United Methodist Church for allowing us to hold our High Holiday services in their sanctuary.  It seems our construction problem has become their opportunity to perform a mitzvah. It should also be noted that our builders, Dave Hall, Inc., and especially Bill Michelinie, have pitched in to help us in preparing the sanctuary at Aldersgate for our High Holiday services.  How wonderful it is to discover the goodness of others in our community!

June 2007

Summer days with little rain are just the right ingredient for rapid progress on our Beth Emeth construction project. Every week there are dramatic changes to be seen. Steel framing for the education wing and the newly expanded areas of the building along the courtyard and new front of the building are nearly completed. Gray sheets of insulating material cover more and more of the building’s steel skeleton. The imagination sees finished walls and floors, but they are only in the imagination. There is no roof yet, but clearly these things will follow in the weeks and months ahead.

Meanwhile, our temporary worship space has been established in the social hall and we have air conditioning to make us comfortable for the summer. Our former sanctuary has begun its transformation—a process that should be complete before the end of November. Stripped of its plush blue seats, the bema a bare elevated platform, the ceiling gone, it is no longer the sanctuary we knew. Think of it as an elegant lady who has retired for a time and doesn’t wish to be seen until her new attire is ready. The bema will be larger and accessible to wheelchairs. The ark, eternal light, bema chairs, congregational seating, carpet, and organ will all be new. The beautiful stained glass windows and crowns will be protected during construction and remain. The elegant brass door handles from the old ark will grace the new ark doors and become part of the artist’s design for them.

The sanctuary chandelier, sconces, and eternal light will all be saved and used in our new building. The beautiful doors in our lobby will also be reused in the new Beth Emeth. Many of our sanctuary pews were in remarkable shape when one considers that they were more than fifty years old. Of course, many were also in poor condition and simply had to be discarded. Nevertheless, about half of the pews were salvaged and given to Pastor Curtis Brown. They will find new life at St. Marion Baptist Church in Philadelphia. Pastor Brown’s congregation is very small and especially grateful for our help. It seems the process of creating our new Temple home is as much about preserving what we cherish as it is about building something new.

WALLS...WE HAVE WALLS! May 2007

If you’ve visited Beth Emeth in recent days, then you’ve seen significant progress with construction. Foundations have been completed and concrete flooring has been poured. Metal framing now rises from the concrete to mark the location of future walls, rooms and corridors. In a matter of days the concrete walk for the courtyard gardens will be poured while the framing continues to expand the skeletal structure of the new education wing and the expanded entrance of the building. At the same time the roof and masonry walls will be prepared to receive the heavier structural steel members that will give strength and support to the new construction.

Behind the temporary wall at the back of the social hall, work progresses to make sure that our social hall will be air conditioned from June through the summer months. In early June work will begin on the roof and in our sanctuary. Services will move to the social hall and not return to the sanctuary until late fall when it is completed. Another temporary wall will be erected to separate the social hall from the sanctuary during that phase of the construction and the air conditioning in the social hall will be essential. High Holy Day services will be held at Aldersgate United Methodist Church on Concord Pike in Fairfax this year and a month or two later we should be holding services in our new sanctuary.

These beautiful spring and summer days are a tonic for both the construction and our spirits. Each day brings some new and exciting sign of the progress that is transforming our Beth Emeth home. If you haven’t come to Beth Emeth recently, stop by to see what you’re helping to create.

Courtyard

Parking Lot Entance

Side view with new classrooms and expanded kitchen

  April 2007

             While for some a sure sign of spring is the sight of a robin in the front yard, at Beth Emeth an even surer sign of the season are the mounds of earth appearing at the side of the building in what was once a grassy area adjacent to our parking lot.  Ice storms and wintry weather, as anticipated, have put construction behind schedule.  But with the arrival of spring, everyone is eager to get back on track.

            In the strip of land that separates our parking lot from the road one can see the catch basin and drainage system for our parking lot addition exposed, at least for now.  Soon that system will be completed and covered over.  Another trench will carry piping toward and across Lea Boulevard in the weeks ahead.  Closer to the building, sanitary piping for the new kitchen addition will also be installed underground.

            As the foundations for the new classroom/kitchen wing and the expanded addition to the library and office side of the building facing the parking lot are completed, we will begin to see concrete floor slabs poured and, in the next two weeks, metal framing for new walls will go up.  It will be very exciting to see that framing give shape to our building.

            Inside the social hall just behind the temporary wall, our stage has been completely removed.  The floor is covered with steel supports and next week a concrete floor will be poured there.  The wall, however, will remain until the interior work on the social hall begins next fall.

            Much is happening behind the scenes too as we plan the next stages of construction.  Sanctuary seating and fabrics have been chosen.  Interior finishes and carpeting as well as exterior stone and brick finishes have also been selected.  Plans for the Holocaust Memorial Garden and the Garden of the Righteous Gentiles are also moving forward as landscape designers and Judaic artists are in the process of being selected.  Artists are also being considered to design the doors for our new ark as well as the eternal light.

            Warm weather is fast approaching, and so we are also working to make sure that the offices and social hall, where we will hold summer services, will have air conditioning while construction on the roof and sanctuary moves forward.  Providing air conditioning is absolutely essential, and we will have it.

            Regular meetings of our building committee, architect, and construction company representatives make it possible to prepare for each stage of the building and to make the whole process move forward smoothly.  Kudos goes to all of them and to all of you in the Beth Emeth family who are helping to make this dream a reality.

January 2007

January 2007A temporary wall has now been erected at the back of the social hall completely separating the stage from the rest of the room. If you stand in the lobby outside the sanctuary and look down the hallway toward the Temple office, you will see a temporary wall has also been built separating the outside wall from the corridor. Though temporary, they are both attractive and soundly built. In the weeks ahead a good bit of demolition work will take place behind these walls as the stage and the outside wall along that hallway come down to make way for new construction in these areas. Meanwhile, the temporary walls allow us full use of the social hall and the hallway.

The foundation and floor of the additional storage room are now finished and we await the arrival of materials before we will see the walls going up. Work continues on the footings and foundations of the new education wing and enlarged areas adjacent to the courtyard and the parking lot side of the building. You can begin to see the outline of our new building’s footprint emerge and anticipate the curved walls that will make the end result so beautiful.

You may recall that asbestos removal was scheduled to take place in two phases to prepare the building for construction. The first phase of that removal is now complete. The final phase is many months away, and we’ll let you know when that will be done as we approach that point in the construction. Other less noticeable work you can expect to be done in the next month includes work on drainage pipes and basins, water and waste lines.

We are pleased with the progress of construction. Often the early stages of a project seem to move forward slowly. In fact, more is happening than meets the eye, but in just a couple of months we will begin to see very dramatic changes. Please remember that it is dangerous and illegal to park on Lea Boulevard. We ask that you use the parking lot even though it means a bit more walking. Thanks to all of you who use our building for your continuing patience and support.

December 2006