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Marcia Goren Weser, Senior Vice-President and Chair of the Relocation Committee, has announced plans for the relocation of Temple services, programs, and offices during the 2001-2002 construction on our Temple facility.
Building Committee Co-Chairs, President Harry H. Levy, IV and Past President Elliott Z. Cohen, state that construction will begin on June 4. Historic preservation of our Temple Sanctuary will continue until early October. Renovation and expansion throughout the remainder of the facility will continue into the late spring of 2002. The Oppenheimer Chapel will be the only part of the Temple building not undergoing construction. However, use of the Oppenheimer Chapel will be prohibited throughout the construction period, because of insufficient emergency access.
Cathy Heins, Chair of the Worship Task Force for the Relocation Committee, has announced that Sabbath Services will be held throughout the summer, until early October in Parish Hall of Christ Episcopal Church, our Temple's neighbor at 510 Belknap Place. The leaders and members of Christ Episcopal Church have made their facilities available for Temple use at no cost, and have been most gracious and hospitable throughout all stages of planning.
Both the Early Sabbath Service and the 8:00 P.M. Sabbath Service, as well as Shabbat Morning Worship, will be held in Parish Hall. Sabbath table blessings following the Early Sabbath Service, Oneg Shabbat following the 8:00 P.M. Friday Service, and Kiddush following Shabbat Morning Worship will also be held in Parish Hall and adjoining spaces. TOT Shabbat Services will be held in the Church's magnificent Children's Chapel.
Oneg Shabbat receptions will continue to be held in Parish Hall after the Sanctuary reopens on Friday, October 12, while construction continues throughout the remainder of the Temple building, and in the Barshop Auditorium. Parish Hall will also be made available to Bar and Bat Mitzvah families for Kiddush Luncheons. During this period, the Kiddush following the Early Shabbat Service will be held in the Temple's Freeman Foyer, as will the Kiddush following Sabbath Morning Worship when no luncheon is held.
When a service is held in the Temple, but the gathering following it is held at Christ Episcopal Church, transportation will be provided for those who can not walk the distance between the two locations. The walk is one long block, and parking is available between the two locations, at the corner of Ashby Street and Belknap Place. As always, child care will be provided during all worship services.
TOT Shabbat will continue to be held in Christ Episcopal Church's Children's Chapel throughout the construction period. At Christ Episcopal Church, all Christian symbols and icons will be removed or covered in the spaces we will occupy during the times of our services and programs.
Services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will be held in McAllister Auditorium at San Antonio College, adjacent to the Temple. Parking will be available in the usual locations, and assisted parking will again be provided. Please watch for special schedules of worship services in the High Holy Day Herald and future Temple Bulletins. In preparation for these High Holy Days, our Selichot Service, as well as the program and reception preceding it, will be held in conjunction with Congregation Beth Am at its facility and Sanctuary on the campus of the First Unitarian Universalist Church.
Services and Family Dinner for the Eve of Sukkot will be held at the Campus of the San Antonio Jewish Community. Sanctuary construction is scheduled to be completed a few days before Atzeret-Simhat Torah. However, in the event that an alternate location is needed for that evening service, it will be held in the Sanctuary of Congregation Agudas Achim, which is available because Conservative Jews observe Simhat Torah one day later than Reform Jews. Morning Services for the first day of Sukkot will be held in Parish Hall of Christ Episcopal Church, as will services for Atzeret-Simhat Torah morning, if necessary.
Education Director Renee Rubin, Religious School Committee Chair Michele Krapf, and Mark Feinberg, Chair of the Education Task Force of the Relocation Committee, have made plans for Religious School and Hebrew School classes for the 2001-2002 school year.
Religious School on Sunday mornings will be held in McCreeless Hall at San Antonio College, adjacent to the Temple. Alamo Community College District has been most generous in providing these classrooms at a modest rental rate.
Weekday Hebrew School on Wednesday afternoons, as well as Wednesday evening classes, will be held at Christ Episcopal Church. Weekday Hebrew School on Tuesday afternoons will continue to be held at the Eleanor Kolitz Academy on the Campus of the San Antonio Jewish Community.
Temple Administrator, Warren Lieberman, and Sandra Kerrest, Chair of the Administrative Task Force of the Relocation Committee, have arranged for the Temple's offices to be located in a modular temporary building, placed on the Temple's parking lot at the corner of Ashby Street and Belknap Place. The Technology Task Force, co-chaired by Buddy Gardner and Daniel Laser, worked to assure our communications needs. The Temple's telephone number and mailing address will remain the same during this period.
This temporary building will include a large conference room, where most weekday adult education programs and meetings will be held. This building will be handicap accessible, and security will be provided.
Lieberman and Bobby Berman, Chair of the Moving and Storage Task Force of the Relocation Committee, have announced that a contract has been executed with Move Solutions. This company will coordinate all aspects of moving Temple property out of the Temple facility into various temporary locations, including storage, much of it climate-controlled.
Harry H. Levy, IV, President, has announced that the Temple's Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 13, in the Holzman Auditorium at the Campus of the San Antonio Jewish Community.
Temple Librarians and Archivist, Marlene Reynolds and Hilton Goldman, have worked diligently with Library Task Force members to assure the proper care of our library during construction. A few key volumes will be placed in the temporary building's conference room, while most of our collection will be placed into storage.
The San Antonio Public Library has graciously agreed to take possession of our Temple archives. The Library will catalogue and preserve these archives at no cost to the Temple, except for materials.
Long-time Fine Arts Committee Chair, Dorothy Katz, has assisted Weser and Reynolds in cataloging all of the Temple's art work for relocation and appropriate storage. Photographs have been taken of all the art work. Accompanied by necessary documentation, these photographs will assist in determining where art work will be placed after construction.
"We are entering an exciting time in the life of Temple Beth-El," said Weser. "We're all looking forward to returning to our magnificent Temple in 2002. In the meantime, we are grateful for the generosity of neighbors and friends, who have offered us the use of their facilities, mostly at no cost or at a very minimal expense. Other community friends offered their homes as well, but we were unable to accept. We are thankful to all."
"We have worked hard to assure that the members and guests of Temple Beth-El will be accommodated throughout the construction period. All of our programs and services will be held in appropriate locations. At the same time, flexibility will be required by all. My hope is that our congregants, who have been so generous in giving of their resources to the 'Building on Tradition' Capital Campaign, will be equally generous in understanding that construction will lead to dislocation and change. May we all be patient with our Temple staff, with our devoted contractors, and with our loyal Temple staff."
Questions about relocation may be directed to Marcia Goren Weser, to any of the people named in this article, to Warren Lieberman, or to Rabbi Block.