Restoration of the Star of Israel
The restoration of the Start of Israel is underway.
Phase One involves upgrading our infrastructure, specifically the roof and wiring, to assure the safety and structural soundness of our 93-year-old building. Restoration updates and a timetable will appear in the Shofar and on this page of our website.
Thank you to everyone whose contributions enabled us to get this far, and to Carol Losos for leadership of the Capital Campaign, which now passes to co-chairs Heidi Learner and Rachel Goldberg.
Heidi and Rachel are organizing the re-launch of the Capital Campaign to fund the next phase of the restoration. If we raise $500,000, we should be able to move, without pausing, from Phase One, the roof and wiring upgrade, to Phase Two, air conditioning the Star of Israel and installing period light fixtures in the sanctuary.
If we exceed $500,000, we hope to move into the next phases of the restoration, the fun parts, which involve restoring the woodwork in the social hall and adding some of the decorative finishes.
The Capital Campaign re-launch will run for about six month, concluding in June. We'll each receive a letter containing full details. And volunteer members of the Capital Campaign committee will contact us by phone to set up meetings where we can learn more about the restoration and how we can help. Please arrange for a convenient time to meet for this important face-to-face conversation.
Members, special guests celebrate USH revival
Star of Israel Synagogue - Restoration Kickoff Celebration from Vimeo. Many thanks to David Dessel for creating this video.
Sunday, September 14, was hot.
The temperature reminded us why we want to air condition our historic Star of Israel Synagogue, but it did not dissuade more than one hundred members and special guests from filling our sanctuary and social hall for the Restoration Kickoff Ceremony and Brunch.
The ceremony culminated with children from the Learning Center and the Kaplan Cooperative Preschool filling the bima, surrounding USH Past President Rob Harari as he sounded a blast of the shofar, symbolically announcing the commencement of our construction period and the season of the High Holy Days.
The survival of the Star of Israel Synagogue is a credit to the tenacity of a community that sustained the building despite the vicissitudes of the local economy. The restoration secures a home for inspiring and nurturing the future of Jewish life in the urban towns along the Hudson waterfront.
Senator Menendez and Mayor Roberts
We were particularly inspired by the warm words of friendship that Senator Robert Menendez and Hoboken Mayor David Roberts shared at our Kickoff Celebration. Both officials had attended our Centennial Gala, in 2005, at the Elks Club, around the time that we launched our effort to restore the Star of Israel and, in attending the Restoration Kickoff Celebration, they reminded us again that they are our neighbors and strong supporters of our efforts to restore our synagogue building and revitalize our community.
Along with brief comments from Rabbi Scheinberg and Ken Schept, president of USH Board of Trustees, the ceremony also featured a reading by Shipley Mason of the minutes of our community from May 22, 1915, describing the actual dedication ceremony of the Star of Israel. Past President Ron Rosenberg recalled the history of the community, adding new details. He acknowledged the contributions of past presidents, especially of Joel Freiser and Marilyn Freiser, in helping the community sustain the Star of Israel, even through difficult times.
Special Invited Guests
As a community, we were especially honored by the number of special guests who attended our Restoration Kickoff Celebration. Along with Senator Menendez and Mayor Roberts, they included Freeholder Maurice Fitzgibbons and Freeholder-Elect Anthony Romano, along with these members of the Hoboken City Council: Theresa Castellano, Peter Cammarrano, Peter Cunningham, Elizabeth Mason, Michael Russo, and Dawn Zimmer. (Photos courtesy of Sandy Burstein, Joe Epstein, and Matt Meistrich.)
Rabbi Scheinberg leading the USH choir
Senator Menendez
Ron Rosenberg
Mayor Roberts
Members of Hoboken City Council
Ken Schept
Rabbi Robert Scheinberg