Temple Beth Sholom Prepares to Rebuild Synagogue, School

photo: Philip Liborio Gangi

Temple Beth Sholom is planning to replace its facilities
at the corner of Clement Street and 14th Avenue.

By Kathleen Jay

After 10 years of planning, Congregation Beth Sholom looks forward to the next phase of building a new temple at its current site at the corner of Clement Street and 14th Avenue.

"The new temple will serve us better," said Rabbi Alan Lew, one of the spiritual leaders of the congregation. "It will be a warmer place and move (the congregation) toward a more participatory form of worship."

Founded in 1929, Beth Sholom serves approximately 600 households in the community. Offering religious services, the temple also has an extensive Jewish education program for adults and children, as well as visiting scholars.

When the congregation initially met with architects to discuss the project, they were told the buildings that compose the temple were not structurally sound. 

"The present buildings were constructed 75 to 80 years ago," Lew said. "The new building will meet our needs for the next 50 to 100 years."

Plans require two of the three buildings to be raised; the sanctuary, with the congregation's offices, and a social hall with kitchen. The third building, the school, would need to be rebuilt.

"The school building will be rebuilt to harmonize with the architect's design," Lew said. "In terms of square footage, the (new) buildings will be the same."

To meet the congregation's needs, an award-winning architect was employed - Stanley Saitowitz, a professor at U.C. Berkeley who was the architect of the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston, among other landmarks.

"The new temple has a striking design," Lew said. "Not typical of what's found in the neighborhood at the moment. It will be a landmark building."

Saitowitz's design for the temple was displayed last year in the American Design Triennial show at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, drawing rave reviews.

However, to fit within a $12.5 million budget, the congregation worked with the architect to modify his original design and still meet the temple's needs.

"The design was reworked to meet our budget," Lew said. "We are now completing our fundraising campaign, which will end at the end of March."

Funds for the project were completely raised by the congregation, Lew added.

In addition to meeting funding needs, the designs were also developed to harmonize with the neighborhood's use of open space.

"You know how buildings in the Richmond share an open courtyard in their backyards," he said. "The new design will also include a courtyard to create a continuity of open space.  Something we never had before."

The temple's next step will be to present its plans to the City's Planning Department for approval.

"We're looking at starting the project in late 2005 or early 2006. It will take 14 months to complete - so we're looking at spring 2007," Lew said.

For more information, call Lew at Congregation Beth Sholom at (415) 221-8736 or visit the website at www.bethsholomsf.org.