CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE - December 22, 2003

For the Glory of God, for the Dignity of all God's children…

Dear Friends,

As you all know by now, B'nai David-Judea has embarked on an exciting and ambitious renovation project. As fundraising, planning, and very soon, construction get under way, we want to include you in some of the wonderful details of the project and answer some of the questions that may be on your minds.

It has taken us a long time and a lot of planning to reach the point where we are ready to go ahead with this project, which we have called "For the Glory of God, For the Dignity of All God's Children." Over the last three years the plans have evolved through several incarnations, under the careful consideration of the Board, the Long-Range Planning Committee, the Capital Campaign Committee, our architect, Naomi Langer, professional fundraising consultants and of course Amram Hassan and Rabbi Kanefsky.

While this plan will beautify our sacred space, what it is about is our vision of Judaism - a sensitive, inclusive and respectful practice of Judaism - and how we can bring our physical facility to better reflect our vision. To that end, nearly every inch of our facility will become accessible to people with disabilities; the mechitza will be placed in the center of the sanctuary; and eight new classrooms will alleviate crowding in our Shabbat children's program.

You, the Kahal, will be the key to accomplishing these important goals, and there is a lot that will be asked of you. With the personal attachment people feel toward B'nai David-Judea, we know we can count on 100% participation in our fundraising efforts.

As Rabbi Kanefsky announced this past Shabbat, we will be moving out of the building for a period of roughly five months, starting as early as the end of January. We are currently exploring interim locations for us to use that will meet our needs for daily minyan, Shabbat davening, childcare and weekday classes. Together, we will make the best of our situation by continuing to
daven and learn as a Kahal, and when our new home is complete, we will be that much stronger for it.

The main goal of this campaign is to have our facility reflect our values, and to illustrate this we'd like to walk you through some of the highlights of the renovation.

The Rabbi Philip Schroit Main Sanctuary:
The floor of the main sanctuary will be redesigned to increase disability access. A ramp will lead from the seating area to the aron and the bima, which will be connected by a ramp down the center of the sanctuary. That ramp will serve as part of the newly designed mechitza, which will run down the center of the sanctuary, giving women and men equally dignified prayer spaces. The Design Committee is currently working with an artist to produce a new bima, aron and mechitza.

Our prayer atmosphere will be enhanced by the addition of windows to let in natural light. The Design Committee has chosen fabric for reupholstering the current seats, with coordinating new carpet and paint. The art deco molding, accents and chandeliers will receive a much needed cleaning and treatment, and the curtains separating the balcony will be replaced by a wall.

East Pico Lobby
The vast area behind the main sanctuary is currently a very under-utilized space in our building.

New wood and glass doors from Pico to this area will serve as a secondary entrance to the shul. This entrance will be fully accessible to people with disabilities; a gradual ramp will lead to the shul's new elevator to the Gold Room and Rechov Yeladim.

The East Pico Lobby will also lead to the new main entrance to the Bet Midrash.
Located within this newly designed space will be fully accessible men's and women's restrooms.

Courtyard
The renovations to the courtyard that leads up to Rechov Yeladim will improve the safety and aesthetics of this vital walkway.

The entire courtyard will be re-plastered, repainted and outfitted with improved lighting.

The current metal doors will be replaced with wood and glass doors. The walkways to the sanctuary, Bet Midrash, and new East Lobby will be accessible using a gradual ramping system that is incorporated into these walkways.

Youth Wing / Multipurpose Rooms
There will be eight new multipurpose rooms built on three floors behind the main sanctuary. These rooms, with removable walls, will be used for Rechov Yeladim, adult education, parties and meeting space and will be accessible from the East Lobby.

The second floor elevator lobby (linking the new multipurpose rooms to the existing classrooms) will also contain new accessible restrooms.

If we reach our fundraising goals, the current Rechov Yeladim classrooms will be painted and carpeted.

Bet Midrash
The primary entrance to the Bet Midrash will be off the courtyard, accessible from the East Lobby and the Sanctuary. The current doors to Pico will remain as emergency exits.
New tables, chairs, bookshelves and display cases will compliment the room's original art deco features, which will include restored art deco mini chandeliers similar to those in the main sanctuary.

Building Façade
The building façade will be painted to capture the original art deco elegance. Some of the original façade details will be restored. A stone base will be added to the building as well as new lighting for the exterior. All exterior doors will be replaced with wood and glass doors that maximize natural light to the building's interior.

All window casings on the Pico Façade will be cleaned and painted. The glass in the windows will be replaced to allow more light into the building, while preserving safety.

Main Lobby
New wood and glass doors will open into the shul's main lobby from the front and from the alley to maximize natural light. New lighting and ventilation systems incorporated into a curved wood ceiling will obviate the need for the current fans. The current lobby restrooms will be expanded to be fully accessible to people with disabilities.

The sanctity of the names on our current Yahrzeit Boards is of paramount importance to our community. These names will be preserved, possibly on new boards, with special attention to retaining the dignity of the memory of those listed.

How Much Will This Cost?
We need $2.5 million for this project to go forward. If we raise $3 million, we can add the details that will allow this facility to truly reflect the dignity due to both our members and our space for worshiping God. With the help of some very generous lead gifts and service donations for the upgrading of our façade and sanctuary, we have already raised more than $1.5 million toward that goal. A feasibility study conducted by our fundraising consultants indicated that, with 100% participation of the membership, the goal of $3 million is achievable.

How Long Will It Take?
The renovations on the façade are set to begin as early as the end of January, with the other renovations soon to follow. It is our goal to have the Main Sanctuary finished by Sept. 2004 so we can enjoy the Yamim Noraim in our new space together.

Where Can I Find Out More About This?
We plan to follow up this letter with others, where we will keep you updated about our progress and describe how and why we came to certain decisions and set the priorities for this campaign. A new lobby display illustrate the descriptions above, and the new B'nai David-Judea website will contain a link where additional information, FAQ's and minutes from important meetings will be posted. We will be setting another open congregational meeting in the early part of next year.

Where Can I Send Suggestions?
We want your feedback. Please address your comments to Julie Fax at juliefax@earthlink.net. She will forward your ideas to the Capital Campaign Committee.

As this project goes forward, it is important to us that as many of you as possible feel comfortable with both the broad strokes and the details of the project. We know that for many of you, as for us, B'nai David-Judea is a second home. Now, we hope, it will become a home we can look upon with a greater measure of pride, knowing that we have worked to enhance our sacred space for the glory of God, for the dignity of all God's children.

Sincerely,

Shep Rosenman, Capital Campaign Committee Co-Chair
Larry Gill, Capital Campaign Committee Co-Chair
Robert Blitzstein, President