Meet the Press

Press coverage surrounding the new building has become ubiquitous! Check out some of our articles below:

St. Louis Jewish Light: http://www.stljewishlight.com/news/local/article_9da90e02-c8ee-11e0-93c1-001cc4c03286.html

St. Louis Jewish Light (old photo): http://www.stljewishlight.com/image_063626e6-6c40-11e0-84f5-001cc4c002e0.html

StlToday.com: http://interact.stltoday.com/pr/arts-entertainment/PR08181112156790

Ladue-Frontenac Patch: http://ladue-frontenac.patch.com/articles/a-synagogue-for-olivette-a-first-for-the-ages

I know we have invited several members of the press to attend the dedication on Sunday (thanks Rich!), so I'll keep you posted on forthcoming published articles and photos.

Comments Welcome - For Real This Time

The management team (me, sitting on the couch) has fixed whatever glitch was preventing people from publishing comments. Just letting you know. Stay tuned as we enter Dedication Week!

Memories, All Alone in the Moonlight...

Disclaimer: this is a sappy post. If you don't care for sentimentalism, move on. Don't say I didn't warn you! I was born into NHBZ and haven't known any other building. While I'm excited about the move, I do have mixed emotions: we're leaving behind not just an old building with a broken air conditioner bordering a somewhat-abandoned strip mall, but also a space full of memories. With all of the holidays, events, family members, classes, and davening associated with the shul, it's hard to say goodbye. I understand that our congregation is a dynamic community of members not confined to a physical space, but still, it'll be weird to drive through U. City and see 8630 Olive inhabited by an Asian church, a daycare center, or whatever else moves in.

Without further ado, I invite you to share your memories of the building. There are no rules here - talk about whatever you please! I'll start. One of my earliest memories of the building (excluding my first year of Sunday School in the back building where we got to exchange mitzvah points for prizes) occurred on one fateful fall evening, circa 1989. The time: Simchas Torah. The place: somewhere near the old bimah. I was happily marching around the sanctuary waving a flag and marching with my Grandpa Irv. But when I looked up, I realized Grandpa was nowhere to be seen, and I was swept up in a sea of big rowdy kids and loud men dancing and singing. My 6-year-old self panicked: I was lost. Practically in tears, I tried to push to the side of the hubbub into the aisle, and from there I was able to locate Grandpa's yarmulke and run over to him. Crisis averted. Whew, was that a stressful few minutes!

I'll sign off leaving the rest of the memories as an exercise for student. Don't be shy - post a comment!

Ded-i-ca-tion, noun

According to dictionary.com (second in authority only to wikipedia), the word dedication has several meanings. One reads as follows:

1. "A ceremony marking the official completion or opening of a public building, institution, monument, etc."

When we think about our new shul building, this is the kind of dedication that generally comes to mind. It conjures up images of important looking guys in suits with plastered smiles posing for the press while holding those giant scissors in preparation to cut the obligatory ribbon. (Out of curiosity, I googled ribbon cutting scissors, and apparently for the low price of about $50, you too can be the proud owner of the ever-useful 2-foot-long pair of scissors!)

But I wanted to focus on two additional definitions that I think both equally apply to our Chanukat HaBayit. Dedicate, verb:

2. "To devote wholly and earnestly, as to some person or purpose."

We've all heard jokes about the difficulty of Jewish board meetings, rife with differing opinions, temperaments, complaints, and ideas. And there's nothing like a major shul project to rile up said opinions and complaints. However, in my quiet observations, I must say that I am floored by the dedication of our members to the dedication of the new shul. That is, I'm impressed by the overall whole and earnest devotion to our shared purpose. So many of our members have really stepped up and devoted countless hours and effort to NHBZ. So I'd like to think of our Chanukat HaBayit not only as a dedication of a physical building but also a time to appreciate the culmination of our congregation's hard work and shared goals as we move forward together.

Finally, I offer a third definition as we move closer to our dedication. (Why do things always come in threes?) Dedicate, verb:

3. "To inscribe a personal signature on (a book, drawing, etc., that is one's own work), usually with a salutation addressing the recipient."

Just as an author dedicates his work, so too should we dedicate our work by putting a signature on the new building. I'm not advocating drawing on the walls, but I do encourage everyone to find some personal way to connect to the building. It's a rare and unique opportunity to be able to dedicate a new shul, so put your own signature on it by coming to the Chanukat HaBayit, buying a brick, sponsoring a kiddush in our new kitchen, or even just coming around more often.

So those are my musings of the day... see you at the dedication!

Official Flyer