Why It Matters
We’re bursting at the seams!
In a typical week, our spaces are teeming with children, teens, and adults. Thousands fill the Sanctuary, Social Hall, North and South Wings, hallways, classrooms, school lobby, Multipurpose Room, and meeting rooms. Our parking lot is often full.
1. Sharing Meaningful Jewish Experiences
TRS wants to be a part of meaningful moments for our congregants, from weddings and funerals to the everyday connections of playing mahjong, arguing text, combatting anti-Semitism and prejudice, and collaborating on many other acts of tikkun olam—repairing our world. These days we find ourselves unable to do so. Weddings and funerals compete for space with our large and lively Religious School. It’s no longer possible to fit in all the requested workshops, meetings, and events. To be both a true Beit T’filah, a house of prayer, as well as a Beit Knesset, a house of meeting, the Campaign will:
Build a New Small Sanctuary
This new, smaller sacred space will be appropriate for intimate lifecycle events, contemplative worship, Bo’i Shabbat and Parallel Shabbat services. Religious School, teen and other alternative services, as well as lectures, concerts, and discussions will all benefit from flexible seating.
Improve Meeting and Social Spaces
Seven new spaces, including five meeting rooms and two social spaces, will alleviate crowding and create opportunities for impromptu gatherings, comfortable conversations, and more flexible scheduling.
Make Accessibility Improvements
A much-widened doorway and an interior ramp for the Multi-Purpose Room will ensure access for every member of our community. The redesign of the School Lobby doors allows easy wheelchair access and added security, as well as prevents heating and cooling loss.
Increase Utility of Existing Space
Soundproofing of the North and South Wings of our Main Sanctuary will permit simultaneous gatherings. Storage spaces added to the Social Hall, Kitchen and Treasures Gift Shop will allow chairs, tables and inventory to move out of public spaces and meeting areas.
2. Inspiring the Next Generation
Whenever a child plays gaga, attends a Youth Group event, sings in a children’s choir, gathers acorns at Bunny’s Place during Nursery School, or develops leadership skills as a summer camp counselor, that child is strengthening their connection to Judaism. The space for our youth to gather and convene was once ample within Temple Rodef Shalom, but these spaces are now overtaxed — our Youth Lounge doubles as offices for Summer Camp and the Youth Director, and our classrooms and meeting spaces are turned over multiple times daily. Both Religious School and Nursery School need additional spaces for formal and informal activities. The Campaign will:
Upgrade and Expand Youth Spaces
To create an environment that encourages positive experiences and relationships, we seek to renovate several classrooms and meeting rooms, add two additional, larger classrooms, create a special playground for our youngest children, and provide additional bathrooms. At the same time, we will redesign the school and camp lobby to provide sufficient office space for our Nursery School, Religious School and Youth staffs, and provide a dedicated Youth Lounge for our teens. An additional layer of security is being added to the lobby.
3. A Place to Transform Ourselves and Our World
Our staff and hundreds of volunteers make do with modest spaces. They are willing to step over chairs and tables in the hallways if it means we can host one more class, one more rehearsal, one more discussion. We have reached the limits of this approach, though, if we want to give them the space and respect they deserve.
Our congregation has nearly doubled in size since our last renovation, and we have added both clergy and staff. To update our space accordingly, the Campaign will:
Expand Offices and Meeting Rooms for Clergy and Administrative Staff
New and reconfigured office space will create a less cramped environment and new quiet spaces for sensitive conversations between clergy, members and families. Better signage and a more open reception area will create a sense of welcoming and direct visitors where they need to go.
Where our lives were once divided into weeks and days, today they are divided into minutes. We pack more into every moment; many families have two parents working outside the home, technology has extended the workday into evenings, and our children study harder and participate in more activities. As we move between obligations, we sit in traffic on 66 or 495, worrying over the minutes ticking by. What gets lost in this busy routine are opportunities to engage with the big questions or be truly present for one another.
When we arrive at Temple Rodef Shalom, we experience an oasis of peace. To preserve and enhance this, the campaign will:
Improve Parking, Safety and Landscaping
Nearly doubling our parking, improving traffic patterns, and offering bicycle parking will reduce congestion. People who walk down from the street will have an improved path, and new plantings and landscaped areas will contribute to the continued “greening” of our Temple. New safety enhancements will provide a sense of reassurance to members and staff.
Building Our Endowment
This campaign not only creates the capacity to meet current needs, but also prepares us for our changing world. Just as members pride themselves on balancing a forward-looking perspective with respect for hallowed traditions, so too must the building synthesize past, present, and future.
In addition to gifts to support the Campaign, we hope all congregants will consider making an additional commitment to our future by making a planned gift to our Endowment.
Remembering Temple Rodef Shalom in your will or making it among the beneficiaries of your IRA or life insurance are important ways to provide for the future. All such gifts go into our Temple Endowment, which will provide support for the programs and operations of Temple Rodef Shalom as it grows. Gifts of cash, appreciated securities or property to the Endowment are also most welcome.