Dream for new synagogue becoming a reality

Congregation Beth Israel has been waiting years for its new synagogue. Their dream is getting closer to coming true.

Congregation Beth Israel is preparing to start on the next step toward their dream of a new synagogue.

Beth Israel will be begin blasting the site where the foundation for the synagogue will be built within the next three weeks, said Dan Raas, member of Beth Israel’s New Synagogue Task Force. The current synagogue, built in 1924, is located at 2200 Broadway in Bellingham.

The new synagogue will be built southeast of the dead end of San Juan Boulevard, according to the conditional use permit for the property. The synagogue will be 25,000 square feet, according to the permit.

Congregation Beth Israel has been eagerly awaiting the new synagogue, said Diane Garmo, a life-long member of the congregation.

The congregation has outgrown the current synagogue, said Raas.

The congregation has grown from about 65 members to about 210 members in the last 30 years, said Raas.

Members are actually measured by family unit, so one “member” could be up to eight people, according to Congregation President Jeff Jaffe.

“The building is next to worn out,” Raas said. “We need to find a new home.”

The congregation hopes to use the new synagogue for at least 50 years, he said. They expect their membership to grow, he said.

Beth Israel secures the location

Beth Israel bought about 20 acres of land at the location, Raas said. They traded about 3 acres to the city in exchange for not having to pay some of the road assessments for San Juan Boulevard, he said.

The city is going to use the 3 acres for a neighborhood park, according to Raas.

Beth Israel secured the conditional use permit for the land in July 2007.

All of the money for the land and construction comes from donations the congregation receives, Jaffe said.

Raas explained that the property for the new synagogue is just outside the City of Bellingham limits, in land owned by Whatcom County.

So far, Beth Israel has cleared seven acres and built a storm water retention pond to make sure rainwater does not run off the property into neighbors’ yards, Raas said.

Blasting is the next step in constructing the synagogue. After the blasting is complete, the foundation for the synagogue can begin to be built, Raas said.

Construction on the foundation should begin this summer, he said.

Beth Israel is not sure how long the project will take to complete, it all depends on donations and weather circumstances, Jaffe said.

Neighbors are welcoming

At first, the synagogue was a controversial topic with new neighbors because the landscape of uninterrupted woods would soon be dramatically changed, according to Laurel Cook, member of the Puget Neighborhood Board of Directors. But now neighbors are pleased that the synagogue is being built because it means the land won’t be developed into multiple houses, she said.

There will be less traffic and a more positive impact for the neighborhood with the synagogue being constructed rather than developing the land for more houses, said Mary Chaney, president of the Puget Neighborhood Association.

Blasting is somewhat worrying to neighbors, but the company doing the blasting, McCallum Rock Drilling Inc., is very reputable, Cook said.

Beth Israel will place seismographs, machines that measure shake in the ground, on the properties of the closest neighbors while blasting to make sure their property does not shake, according to Raas.

Beth Israel alerted the neighborhood of the upcoming blasting in a letter to the Puget Neighborhood Association, Chaney said.

“I think they’ll be a wonderful neighbor,” Chaney said.

Beth Israel gets involved in the community

Congregation Beth Israel is very involved within the community, said Linda Hirsh, chair of the Social Action Committee.

They respect the idea of “mitzvah,” a commandment that basically means repair the world, Hirsh said.

The congregation participates in a number of local volunteer organizations including Whatcom Volunteer Center, Bellingham Food Bank, Friendly Visitors and Whatcom County Humane Society, said Hirsh.

Beth Israel is also a member of the Interfaith Coalition, a Bellingham group that unites different religions and performs volunteer work for the community, said Debbie Raas, co-chair of the Social Action Committee.

The Interfaith Coalition owns a severe weather shelter for homeless members of the community as well as houses where homeless families can stay for up to two years, Debbie Raas said.

Beth Israel also has been putting on an event in May called Mitzvah Day for the past three years, Hirsh said. Mitzvah Day consists of volunteers from the congregation gardening on the farm for the food bank, doing trail and stream restoration with Bellingham Parks Department, and sewing outerwear and blankets with the Whatcom Volunteer Center, she said.

For any questions or concerns about the new synagogue or construction, contact Whatcom County or Congregation Beth Israel at 360-733-8890.

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