It’s been eight years since the process of renovations began at Temple Sinai that were intended to build an addition and upgrades to the synagogue — built in the 1950s — to fill a desperate need for space and modernization.
With delays from the pandemic pausing construction in 2020 and uncertainty about how the synagogue would meet with the virus running rampant, the synagogue gave the renovation plans a review in the summer of 2021.
“We started the process of doing some further planning to determine whether we thought we still needed the expansion because the pandemic for all of us changed everything,” said Ken Jaffe, Temple Sinai’s president and the project’s lay leader.
That review gave clarity that more space was still needed, but that they could also use added utility for their outdoor event spaces, while making the indoor spaces more flexible for various events and programming. The pandemic fostered a need for smaller in-person sessions.
The final project added 9,500 square feet of space with multipurpose meeting rooms for gathering, education and other meetings, plus an updated Beit Midrash, a congregational lounge, improved security, a secure outdoor space, a terrace and an improved playground.
“It has taken a bit longer than we had hoped, but we are really at the finish line. The building is substantially complete because there’s still some punch list items to be worked on. But we have the authority we need to occupy the space, and we’ve started to do that,” Jaffe said.
The construction was mostly completed in May, although the outdoor spaces are still getting finishing touches. The indoor spaces didn’t receive final approval for use until a couple of weeks ago.
Since final approvals were announced, the synagogue has hosted several important meetings, pushing the synagogue forward as a key community pillar.
“Just yesterday [June 18], the Community Purchasing Alliance, which we are founding members of, had a board meeting in our new space. And that was a kind of the inaugural event that we were using in the upper level of our new space — and it came off without a hitch,” Jaffe said.
Jaffe said that synagogue committees and other groups are excited to use the spaces. The Temple Sinai Women of Reform Judaism held a board meeting in a dedicated space rather than a classroom, which they had been doing.
Previously, groups competed for limited space and were sometimes forced to meet in spaces not suited to their needs.
With the construction reaching its end, Jaffe reflected on how the long years of building impacted the community as they adjusted to going about their business while construction took place.
“We’ve had an active construction site going on while the kids were in school. And that has been a challenge. I think our staff, our teachers, our community, have responded well to that,” Jaffe said.
Jaffe added that while the construction didn’t have a large impact on the worship or gathering aspects of their programming, they’ve been “chomping at the bit” to use their new spaces.
Jaffe is pleased with the final product and said that people are wowed when they see what’s been changed, noting that the renovations allow more natural light throughout the building, which he said was “uplifting.”
“I want to commend our architects and CGS [the construction company] who really worked with us through that process, adjusting the design, and I think they would agree that, if hindsight were 20/20, they would have liked to have this in their original design because it really does come out beautifully,” Jaffe said.
Information about the project and its full history can be found on the Temple Sinai website at templesinaidc.org/ 2024/06/.