By Andrew Coen
Officials of the orthodox synagogue, located at 290 Broadway, have recently notified congregants that that the remaining parts of the planned expansion, which has been in the works for the past two years, will not proceed. Congregation Beth Sholom President Gary Miller attributed the suspension of the remainder of the project due to the fact that a deal with "Ram Caterers," which was expected to fund the expansion, was not able to move forward due to complications.
"Though all parties proceeded in good faith, meeting everyone's needs eventually became untenable from a business perspective," said Miller in a recent letter addressed to Congregation Beth Sholom members.
Congregation Beth Sholom got approval for the third-phase of the synagogue's expansion by the Lawrence Board of Zoning Appeals on Jan. 28, 2004, despite some concerns addressed by neighbors in Lawrence and Cedarhurst over increased vehicular traffic. The roughly $5 million project would have added around 200 seats to the sanctuary, doubled the size of the beit mardrash (study room) from 75 to 150, added a youth facility and ballroom in addition to the planned large catering facility.
Congregation Beth Sholom embarked on the renovation and expansion project around a decade ago, which synagogue officials said was intended to address the structural issues existing in the over 40-year-old building and to provide room for the growth of the temple. Since the project was launched, a renovated and expanded sanctuary was completed, with many of the structural issues addressed, including previous problems with the heating system and leaks in the roof, synagogue officials said.
"We are deeply grateful to those who have spent an inordinate amount of time and effort in seeing this project through," said Miller in a prepared statement. "It was decided that the remainder of the project should be suspended, as we reassess our building priorities."
Miller said in addition to officials from Congregation Beth Sholom, more than 30 additional members have stepped forward to work within the synagogue's building committee to develop a new plan to complete the project. "The building committee is in the process of analyzing the various needs of the synagogue, as well as ways to finance the balance of the project," said Miller.
According to Miller, the building committee hopes to present a revised plan to the Congregation Beth Sholom membership within the next 3-6 months that will allow the synagogue to complete the project in a "timely fashion."
"Our overall supporters within the synagogue have been steadfast in their commitment to complete the project," said Rabbi Kenneth Hain, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Sholom. "It is important to complete the project for a variety of reasons."
Rabbi Hain said despite the third phase of the expansion being delayed, he is happy with the work that has been done and the determination his congregants have shown to improve the shul. "I have been very impressed with the vitality of the members of the congregation who really do value the synagogue," said Rabbi Hain. "We wanted to restore the synagogue to its former glory and I think that really was accomplished."
Comments about this story? Acoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
