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B'Nai Israel Congregation Shares In Rededication Of Sanctuary
By Eleanor O'Sullivan
RUMSON - Members of Congregation B'nai Israel shared a moving experience last week when the synagogue's 50-year-old sanctuary was rededicated.
"When we had the celebration last Friday night, and we were carrying in the Torahs, there were 300 people here, many of them crying,'' says Dr. Yona Shulman, president of Congregation B'Nai Israel, Rumson.
B'nai Israel's Rabbi, Andrew D. Bloom, said the rededication had been a dream of his for some time, and that the rededication was "a surprise to 99 percent of the congregation.''
Through the generosity of synagogue member Arthur Becker, plus the private donations of another four members, and the efforts of Dr. Shulman, Rabbi Bloom said, the ambitious rededication project became a reality.
As Bloom showed a guest into the sanctuary, he entered through the social hall (with new carpeting and new hand-painted chandeliers from Italy). He paused before entering the sanctuary.
"Let me turn on the lights so you can get the full effect,'' he said.
And a remarkable effect it was: an ark made with a backdrop of cerulean blue tiles, surrounded by hundreds of Jerusalem stones from Israel, representing the Western Wall, holds the Torahs. One of the Torahs, which sits the highest, is a surviving Torah of the Holocaust in Czechoslovakia.
Instead of the Torahs sitting behind a curtain, they now sit in the ark behind glass doors, clear so "that all can see the Torahs all the time, and by seeing them, gain an educational, spiritual and religious connection.''
Rabbi Bloom said the Torah from Czechoslovakia has been set highest among the others for a purpose."The words of the Torah are eternal. Even though this Torah belonged to those who were murdered by the Nazis, their heritage lives on through their Torah.''
The sand-colored stones, with their Western Wall heritage, are meant to make a connection "for those who have been able to reach Israel and for those who have not to know what it would be like,'' Rabbi Bloom said the project was completed over the summer, with a New York designer and local craftsmen doing the work.
"This is unique (the sanctuary), as it has the Jerusalem stone, and because the Torahs are for public display,'' Rabbi Bloom said.
At the top of the stone over the ark are two tablets holding the Ten Commandments, which are flanked by the Lions of the Tribe of Judah.
On either side of the ark are two menorahs - seven candlelabra representing the six days of creation and the seventh day of rest, or Shabbat. The Torahs are the five books of Moses and are the foundation of the Jewish religion.
"I want to give Rabbi Bloom a lot of credit for accomplishing this,'' Dr. Shulman said. "It was a big project, and we hoped to involve the whole congregation, but then the market collapsed, and we didn't feel it was the right time to ask people for support in such difficult financial times.''
Undaunted, Rabbi Bloom and the five congregation members who made the donations prevailed.
"Every penny was privately donated,'' Rabbi Bloom said.
Congregation B'Nai Israel, which was established in 1922, draws from more than 20 surrounding towns, mostly in Monmouth and Ocean counties, and has about 417 members. The synagogue is a member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. The congregation offers spiritual and inspirational services that combine Hebrew and English and offer men and women equal status.
Dr. Shulman said that a dinner will be held Sept. 10 at the Shadowbrook Restaurant to both honor the congregation's past presidents and to celebrate the future of the synagogue. She said that Arthur Becker will be the synagogue's next president, come July 2010.
More information is available from (732) 842-1800, or www.cbirumson.org.
