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Rabbinic Reflections - January 2019

The last year and a half have been heady times at EBJC: A new rabbi, a new cantor/educator, new office staff, the expansion of egalitarian services to every Shabbat morning, outreach to our constituents in Monroe, and a new mahzor have transformed our communal life. Simultaneously, we have begun to address many of the structural needs of our campus and our business: paving the parking lot, improved accounting and data procedures, and a comprehensive overhaul of our security system. There will be other changes to come, bringing our shul into the mainstream of the Conservative movement and making it possible for us to meet a broad array of Jewish needs. Having engaged in all of these changes and improvements, we are ready to implement a bold new phase in improving our facilities: the creation of the Grand Pavilion.

 

Over the past year, our leadership has been planning the redesign and refurbishment of the sanctuary wing of the building, from bimah to bimah. This area, which will now be known as the Grand Pavilion, will be restructured so that the sanctuary and beit midrash will be able to accomodate our two styles of worship over the High Holidays. The entire wing will be refurbished to improve our experiences, and will now feature a movable wall which will enable us to partition the Kroll Ballroom into smaller spaces during the year for multipurpose use. We have already gotten interest from caterers who would like to partner with us in the future to revamp our kitchens and bathrooms (those are not part of the current project).

 

Now that the plans have been worked out with architects and structural engineers, we are ready to build. But in order to do so, the entire EBJC community needs to come together to fund this project. Our leadership has committed to going forward only once funds have been procured, and to use funds raised only for this project. In order to complete the Grand Pavilion, we are now asking that every EBJC family consider making a meaningful gift that will help rejuvenate our synagogue for another generation. A small working group is arranging parlor meetings, private visits and phone solicitations during January and February, so expect a call. This is our opportunity to ensure the future of our shul by matching the blessings of our new staff, new practices, and new procedures, with a new set of spaces that will bring us pride and attention from the entire East Brunswick community. Now is the time!

 

Rabbi Jeff Pivo

 

Sat, September 13 2025 20 Elul 5785