Look At What You Are Accomplishing At HBT!
We are thrilled to share that, with the generous support of Temple HBT members and others in our community, we have begun to make changes to our sanctuary thanks to the Shevet Achim Gam Yachad Capital Campaign! This month we have made great strides toward our vision of new seating and flooring in our sanctuary. In addition, your generosity (along with a grant from the Ruderman Family Foundation) has made possible the installation of a brand new chairlift from the temple lobby to the social hall.
Thank you for your tremendous support.
The first week of June, members of Iglesia Evangelica Luz y Vida in Lynn came to accept all of the pews from our sanctuary to fill their newly renovated sanctuary in a former synagogue. Mark Dinaburg, Gary Schweon, and Socrates “Moreno” Guzman assisted them in disassembling the seats and moving the pews into the truck in three separate trips. Rabbi Penzner was on hand on June 6 to offer a blessing for the pews as they traveled to their new home, and a blessing for the church community to find renewal in these beloved pews. One of the men, wearing a Star of David, commented emotionally that we had benefited from the blessing of the pews, and that now they are receiving that blessing from us. We look forward to celebrating with them when their church construction is completed.
This month, the carpets and old asbestos-containing floor tiles in the sanctuary were removed consistent with appropriate remediation safety measures and our COVID-19 Task Force’s health guidelines. New carpeting is due to be installed in July. We have ordered 225 chairs, half with arms and half without, to arrive by September 1, 2020.
At a future date we look forward to celebrating our renewed holy space, which will make social distancing even easier and more comfortable. Many thanks to the Shevet Achim Gam Yachad Committee for the diligence and skill in making all the intricate decisions, from finding the church to choosing seat and carpet colors, to speaking to architects about accessibility, and much more. Thank you to Mark Dinaburg (chair), Barbara Davis, Hilary Kassler, Judith Levine, Hilary Marcus, Raquel Rosenblatt, Craig Schneider, and Gary Schweon.
If you have not made a gift to the Shevet Achim Gam Yachad campaign and would like to do so, we invite you to send your contribution to the temple, or make your gift online.
Thank you again for your ongoing support of our special community!