Finishing touches and continuing giving

So here we are at the beginning of January, with Phase 1 construction of our Renewal Project – our gorgeous Central Atrium and new and renewed spaces – just about to wrap up.

If you haven’t yet seen what our renewed HBT looks like, the result is breathtaking. The light-filled Atrium, with its inviting, open plan and plenty of comfortable seating, really is the “living room” of Temple. The sculptural and functional Central Staircase is a design masterpiece that had to be lowered into place through the roof during construction. The Living Wall brings a growing landscape into the Atrium, adding oxygen as it filters the air. Our Holy Grounds Café, a place to get an excellent cup of coffee or light snack while you’re here for a lecture, service, meeting or just to spend a couple of quiet hours getting some work done. The new Family Chapel / Mishkan on the second floor is a beautifully-designed and flexible venue, suitable for worship services, lectures and family celebrations. And these are just a few of the highlights!

But of course, words can only do it so much justice. A terrific visual overview of the project can be found by clicking on this highlight video from our Housewarming Event and Dedication Ceremony, held on December 2nd. (And click here for a video of the full Dedication Ceremony – complete with speeches, music and Chanukah candle lighting.) Over 1000 of us joined together in song and prayer and to shep some much-deserved naches over what we’re accomplishing together. Please take a few minutes to watch. The videos will really give you an appreciation of the energy, importance and genuine sense of community we all felt in our new Beit Knesset, our House of Gathering, on the day. We promise you won’t be disappointed.

We expect the City will be conducting its final inspection soon and we plan to officially open our doors and fully occupy the new spaces shortly thereafter. In the meantime, our contractor, Pomerleau, is just completing a few final finishing touches.

Importantly, please note that the Central Atrium WILL be open this coming Monday evening, January 14th, for the David Frum lecture. Click here for more information about this first public event in our new space.

Another over-$50k raised!

Momentum continues on the fundraising front with more than $50k coming in since our last update. This puts us at about $29,455,000 – with more congregants contacting us every day, bringing us ever closer to completing our fundraising for Phase 1.

Our goal is for every congregant to say “Hineini” – Here I am – and to make a personally meaningful, and joyful, gift. To this end, we’re reaching out, one by one, to every congregant over the next number of months.

Meanwhile, if you feel inspired to give, there is no need to wait for our call. Our Director of Development Jonathan Ain is eager to speak to you today. Jonathan can be reached at jain@holyblossom.org or 416.789.3291 ext. 249.

As always, we thank you for all your support, financial and otherwise, of our Renewal Project.