After termites ravaged the foundation of their synagogue and estimated repairs proved costly, members of Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley have decided to raze and rebuild.
The proposed replacement — a Polish-style wooden synagogue estimated at about $3 million — will cost more than the daunting list of repairs and an earthquake retrofit of the existing building.
But it’s worth it to members, who are enthused about creating a spiritual home tailor-made to their needs.
“Rather than just keeping out the weather, we wanted something to express our Yiddishkeit as well as the needs of the community,” said Beth Israel board member Fried Wittman.
Such Yiddishkeit would include Jewish art and artifacts. Wittman said the proposed design would carry on a tradition that is both local and Jewish from the Old World — wood and iron craftsmanship.
Many Ashkenazi emigres in the area were artisans in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. One such craftsman from Ukraine, congregant Izzy Sher, designed the wrought iron menorahs and mechitzah (partition) in the existing synagogue.
The shul, begun as a fellowship home in 1924, grew up to be a one-room synagogue at 1630 Bancroft Way with the help of many crafts-oriented congregants.
“Even though the building looks kind of shleppy, it has had all kinds of attention from its members,” Wittman said.
The sukkah canopy was sewn by a seamstress in the congregation. Two ornate chairs that support the Torah were fashioned by a congregation physician. Many a member helped to landscape the yard.
The structure will be Berkeley’s next natural wooden wonder of several that include the Hillside Club on Cedar, the Sigma Phi fraternity and the Julia Morgan Center on University Avenue.
Morgan, the famed architect of William Hearst’s San Simeon castle, also designed several wood buildings on the nearby University of California campus. Faculty and students mourned the demolition of “The Ark,” a former architectural and engineering building by Morgan, when it was torn down and replaced by a more modern facility, recalled Wittman, a former architect.
Many shingled condominiums and custom homes also share the Berkeley landscape.
In an attempt to decide whether the wood concept fit Beth Israel, members searched the Internet to find 24,000 wooden synagogue references. The structures were sanctuaries to half the world’s Jewry during 1500 to 1941 in Europe, they discovered.
“What is marvelous about these old wooden synagogues is that they seem ideally suited for all the facets [of Jewish life] — for personal and spiritual use, community activities and as an extension of family life.
“There is a simplicity that underscores the relationship between HaShem and the individual.”
Wittman called the online descriptions “meaningful — not just an accident of words falling together.”
Meaning and ambiance are particularly important to Beth Israel’s 180 families and individuals, who practice a wide range of halachic observance for an Orthodox synagogue, according to Wittman. It has been a goal of the congregation for the less observant among them to become more halachic.
“We want a very comfortable haimish facility that encourages people who are moving continually forward in their participation,” Wittman said.
The wooden synagogue, proposed at 7,000 square feet, would be almost twice as large as the current building. Additional space will accomodate classrooms and a social hall. The women will continue to pray on the same level as the men.
Synagogue members are compiling a brochure describing the project to potential donors. Members have not finalized any fund-raising plan yet, however.
If all goes smoothly, builders could break ground on Bancroft Way by spring 1999.