CAMP BDJ - ON THE MOVE

Dear Chevre,

With apologies for the short notice and the proximity to Pesach, we would like to invite the entire congregation to a membership meeting on Shabbat after davening, Mar. 27th, at approximately 11:00 AM, @ Canfield School, to discuss the direction of the renovation project. Please note that Davening will begin on that Shabbat at 8:30 AM.

As we knew from the start, the plans we had put together -- which many of you saw during solicitation meetings, in the lobby display, or in the open congregational meetings -- contained everything we hoped to see happen for this building and for our congregation.

At the same time, the board took steps at the outset of the capital campaign to ensure that this project did not put the shul into unmanageable debt.

We knew that when the contractor bids came in, we would have to cut out elements we couldn’t pay for.

As we always assumed, the cost of bringing our 1930s building up to the health and safety standards of today is a costly endeavor, one that pushed our bids higher than we can responsibly afford to spend.

After seeing the bids and working through the numbers, the board, along with the finance committee and the capital campaign committee, is in the process of developing a phased approach to this project, prioritizing the timing of the elements based on a variety of factors including philosophic importance to the congregation, cost and large gifts dedicated to specific purposes.

We are calling this meeting to get your input on how that priority list takes shape.

While the details are still to be worked out, we know that significant and difficult cuts will have to be made.

Please note: With Pesach so close and the rabbi being out of town Sunday and Monday, we had no choice but to hold this meeting on Shabbat. We will therefore limit the scope of the discussion to the values and priorities with which we want to proceed with this project – itself a spiritual pursuit. We will stay away from talking about financials, which would not be appropriate on Shabbat. FOR THAT REASON, WE ARE HOLDING A FOLLOW UP MEETING SUNDAY, MARCH 28 AT 7:15-7:50 P.M. upstairs at Bais Bezalel to discuss the financial issues, including fundraising status, expenses and loans.

It has been an intense few weeks for the leadership of our shul – it takes a while to absorb the idea that the full project we envisioned is not what will materialize in the immediate future – but it has also been a period of serious introspection and a chance to examine our values.
We invite you to participate in this important process, and we are confident that as this process moves forward, we will emerge with a plan that reflects those values and maintains the fiscal and moral integrity of our shul.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact Julie Fax at juliefax@earthlink.net or 310-284-8139.