Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on February 2, 2018

Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer

Hundreds of holy books from the United Orthodox Synagogues were removed from the flooded building.

Hundreds of holy books from the United Orthodox Synagogues were removed from the flooded building.

Harvey-damaged synagogue faces demolition

The tan-brick synagogue off South Braeswood is where Amy Goldstein held her toddler daughter during Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah services. It's where the girl, Molly, now 14, learned to read the Torah. It's where the family celebrated her bat mitzvah.

"We've been here since Molly was 2," Goldstein said. "She's basically grown up in the synagogue. Her whole childhood was in that building."

But after flooding three times in as many years, the United Orthodox Synagogues has decided to demolish part of the campus, which has stood at 9001 Greenwillow St., near Brays Bayou, for more than a half-century.

Members of the modern orthodox Jewish congregation voted in December to knock down the sanctuary, offices and school wing, which were inundated with 7 feet of water during Hurricane Harvey. Freedman Hall, an elevated reception hall next door, will remain to serve as the congregation's temporary sanctuary.

On Sunday, the modern orthodox Jewish congregation will meet for the last time in the original synagogue, where multitudes of religious holidays and life events engagements, weddings, baby naming ceremonies, bar and bat mitzvahs, and funerals were celebrated since 1961.

Rabbi Barry Gelman will lead prayers. Members are encouraged to share stories and photographs of their "simchas" or happy events held at the synagogue.

"This is a goodbye ceremony to help the congregation get some closure," Goldstein said. "It's more emotional than you would realize. We're all trying to move forward."

The way forward remains unclear for the 300-member congregation.

Options include rebuilding with elevated facilities or moving to a new location. A timeline for demolition has yet to be determined, but leaders are working to preserve religious artifacts, stained glass and memorial plaques.

"It's been a very difficult decision for us to make as a community," Goldstein said. "Everyone wants to make the right decision for the community, and with any group, there are many ideas. The board is considering all viable options at the moment."

Questions abound, Goldstein said. If you rebuild, how high do you build up to prevent the synagogue from flooding again? If you move, where to, and how can you ensure every member of the congregation can move as well?

Following the orthodox faith, congregants walk to synagogue every Saturday, as their ancestors have done on holy days for centuries. They meet after prayers for Shabbat meals, where families and friends spend the afternoon catch up and spend time together.

Rebuilding or moving would be disruptive for the community, Goldstein said. But so too would another devastating flood.

"After three floods, the answer becomes rather self-evident," Goldstein said.

Harvey had an outsized impact on Houston's Jewish community in flood-prone Meyerland.

About one out of every 13 Jewish families here an estimated 2,000 households flooded during the storm. Three of the city's largest synagogues, with a combined membership of 3,900 families, were damaged. The Jewish community center took on 10 feet of water. The Jewish senior home and day schools all flooded.

Goldstein, whose Meyerland-area home took a foot of water, and her family now live in a garage apartment near the University of Houston. Her daughter, Molly, still gets anxious every time it rains.

The devastation brought families in the Jewish community closer together, Goldstein said, but it also left them in a somewhat fragile state as they ponder their synagogue's future.

"Buildings can be fixed, torn down or rebuilt," she said. "But this is our community and our congregation. When you share a sacred place, it's hard to let it go."

Excerpt from:

Flood-ravaged synagogue in Meyerland to be demolished - chron.com

Category: Synagogue
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