Building dedication program brochure of Temple Beth Sholom (Las Vegas, Nev.)

Temple Beth Sholom, originally founded as the Jewish Community Cen- ter of Las Vegas, is now entering the 25th year since its incorporation. On Sept. 21, 1948 it became a legal entity, officially structured under the corpo- rate laws of the State of Nevada. In the past quarter century it has flourished and grown from a small group of pioneer Jews into one of the largest Con- servative congregations on the West Coast. The first 25 years have truly been years of growth and expansion, reflecting the determination of the member- ship to meet the ever-changing, ever-increasing demands of an ever-growing Jewish population. Temple Beth Sholom has been, and continually strives to be, all things to all people. It has not been an easy task. Its officers and board members over the years, have played a prominent role in the development of the Jewish com- munity, and their devoted efforts have created the necessary facilities to pro- vide proper religious training for the children, and social activities for the family. These men and women of integrity, motivated by the singular desire to perpetuate the heritage and traditions of our people, faced many perplex- ing situations, new and unique challenges, multifarious problems brought about by a basically transient population, yet were able to grow in strength and stature with each passing year. Temple Beth Sholom is today a direct measure of their successful efforts. What was once hopefully envisioned as the future, stands as today's reality. Throughout its history, the Temple has been blessed with generous and dedicated leaders, without whose guidance and support, its present status of maturity and recognition would not have been possible. They took to heart the mandate of their people, and forged into being an institution which is today the bulwark and beacon light of Jew- ish life in Las Vegas. The steady influx of people into the community, and the proportionate growth of Jewish residents who joined the Temple family, brought many new ideas and thoughts, and the realization that our facilities, while perhaps "ENTER INTO HIS GATES WITH THANKS GIVING adequate in size for the time being, were uninspiring, and lacked the warmth and atmosphere usually associated with a Temple Sanctuary and Social Hall. There was a strong desire for improved facilities which would add dignity and esthetic beauty to the physical structures. Thus it was that in 1968 the Temple board launched an ambitious pro- gram to remodel and refurbish the Social Hall, the Pulpit area of the Sanc- tuary, the lobby and the front entrance to the building. It was decided to divide the work into two phases. Phase I concerned itself with the remodel- ing of the Social Hall. Professional help was engaged, and the work lasted several months. When it was finished, we had changed what was previously a large but cold and uninviting hall, into a beautiful, carpeted room, far more conducive to use for organizational as well as personal celebrations. Members who sat in the Social Hall during the High Holidays, would now enjoy greater physical comfort, and the beauty of the room enhanced their spiritual enjoyment of the services. Phase II was the alteration of the pulpit area, the lobby and the front entrance. The board engaged the services of Eric Ray, head of the Art Depart- ment of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, California, who was known to have successfully created original art for a number of Temples on the West Coast. Mr. Ray assumed the position of Designer and Project Di- rector, and immediately engaged the services of Rita Deanin Abbey, Josef Pelzig and the late Albert Allwelt, each a recognized artist of note. The re- sults of the efforts of Mr. Ray and his staff have been admired by all, and the Temple's new look, inside and out, has become a favorite subject for photo-taking visitors from all over the country. The new Art and Architec- ture of the Temple follows its triple function as a House of Meeting, a House of Study, and a House of Prayer. Mr. Ray has utilized visual elements of Synagogal Art to remind us of significant events in our Torah and in Jewish history. The beautiful, original Art work he designed for us, thus serves as an educational as well as decorative function. COURTS WITH PRAISE" PSALM 100-4 The New Art of Temple Beth Sholom THE PULPIT STAGE was widened, deepened, re-carpeted, and had steps and railings added to it. Built-in lecterns were designed to unify the look and function of the Pulpit. A new Ark, Organ and Sound-system, as well as new Chairs and Reading Table, were added. THE WALL OF CREATION, effecting a new "stained-glass" look, is per- haps the greatest single change to the look of the Pulpit. It was made of a poured acrylic plastic (the same material developed for the National Space Program and used in outer space) and constructed in multiple levels to an unusual depth. Illuminated from behind by fluorescent lights, the brightly colored screen, named by its designer as the "Wall of Creation," is believed to be the largest poured acrylic screen in existence. It is completely unique and original in design and creation, Appropriately, the artist's depiction in the abstract design of the complexity of outer space with its infinite gal- axies, stars, planets, suns and moons, is totally framed within the Hebrew words of the Psalmist which translated from Psalm CIV, mean: "He covereth Himself with light as with a garment; He stretcheth out the heavens like a curtain." The new wall, when seen from a distance, resembles the shape of a Menorah, with the Ark as the central shaft. The illuminated wall is the Artist's conception of the first Chapter of Genesis, which tells of the creation of light. THE NEW ARK, with its towering and inspiring doors is shaped like the two tablets which Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. Their slightly triangular form is the artist's subliminal reminder of the holy mountain. Hebrew letters spell out the numbers 1 to 10 as reminders of the 10 Commandments written in the Torah scrolls contained within the Ark. The lettering design used for the 10 Hebrew numbers, is based on the script used in the Dead Sea scrolls dating back more than two thousand years. The letters are gold-mosaic with a gold-leaf finish. THE ETERNAL LIGHT appears at the center top of the Wall of Creation, above the Ark. The sculptured hands, made of bronze and gold-brass, are in the atti- tude taken by the hands of the Kohanim (the Priests) when they were called upon to bless the children of Israel. Two lights burn eternally behind the hands. THE RABBI'S LECTERN, is on the right side of the pulpit, facing. Affixed to the front of this lectern are carved wooden tablets, bearing the Ten Commandments. THE CANTOR'S LECTERN is on the left side of the pulpit, facing. On the front of this lectern is sculptured and gold-leafed David's Harp, appropriately in- scribed in Hebrew: "Sing to the Lord." The same velvet covering which was used for the new pulpit chairs, covers the desk-area on both lecterns. Each lectern also bears a small reading or book stand. THE WINDOWS. Although not immediately visible to the congregation upon entering the Sanctuary, there are 10 slit windows, each from floor to ceiling, number- ing five on each side. Originally of plain glass, these ten windows are now filled with brightly colored "stained-glass" plastic. The colors are taken from the Torah descrip- tion of the precious stones worn by the High Priest Aaron, in his breastplate. The sym- bolism of their number (10) is another reminder of the Decalogue. To complete the work on the Sanctuary, new door handles of textured brass and walnut, were fabricated and installed on the entrance doors. Finally, the Hebrew letters above the entrance doors, which identify the Sanctuary on the lobby side, were changed from silver to gold. THE LOBBY was next to be dec- orated with stained glass in the long win- dow at the top of the facing wall, as well as around and within the doorway leading into the social hall. During Phase I, the lobby was completely re-done with beau- tiful fruitwood paneling, from ceiling to floor. THE LONG STAINED GLASS WINDOW, across the entire width of the lobby located above the Memorial Tablet, depicts a capsule version of Jewish history. Reading the Jewish way, from right to left, it begins with the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The tablets are shown engraved with the ancient Hebrew let- ters used in the days of Moses, David and Solomon. Next is shown the Tabernacle in the desert and the eternally burning Menorah outside of the Tent of Meeting. In the center are the blessing hands of the first King Saul, reminding us of the duty of the Israelite Kings to bless the people once each year, thus showing themselves to be ser- vants of God and of the people. Next is depicted the glory of Solomon's Temple, with a sacrifice burning on the altar. Its subsequent destruction, rebuilding and again de- struction, and the centuries of persecution which followed, are symbolized by the smoke from the altar, spiralling upward to the heavens. The rebuilding of the Land and of the idea of the Messianic Age of Peace and Brotherhood are finally symbolized by the Great Shofar, the Olive Twig and the Hebrew word for Peace, Shalom. THE THREE LARGE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS at the top and on both sides of the entrance doors to the social hall, as well as the six small win- dow insets in the two doors, are meant to be read from within the social hall, not from the lobby side. Reading from right to left, the first window (right side of door) with the wine cup and the olive branch, express the ideas of enjoying life's blessings and of living in peace with one's neighbors. It is also a reminder of the importance of keep- ing the Sabbath, and observing the Kiddush. The window at the top emphasizes the importance of living according to the moral law expressed in the Torah, and of the necessity of constant study. Its secondary meaning is reference to Simchat Torah, one of Judaism's happiest holidays. The artist depicts an open Torah scroll with a Yad (finger pointer) resting on it. Next to it are the fringes of a Tallith (prayer shawl). This reminds us of the continual reading of the Torah, and the prayerful reverence required for it. The third window (left side of the door) shows an Etrog (Citron fruit) and a Lulav (Palm, willow and myrtle branches bound together). According to tradition, the three kinds of leaves and the perfumed fruit symbolize all kinds of Jews, from the totally unobservant to the most righteous. On ancient mosaics, which formed the floors of Synagogues many hundreds of years old and recently excavated in the Holy Land, the Lulav and Etrog were pictorialized as symbolic of the unity of the Jewish people and their hope to return to their own land. The secondary meaning of this window is, of course, its reference to the Festival of Succoth, where these "Four Kinds" are used in the Syna- gogue and the Succah. THE SIX SMALL WINDOWS, inset into the social hall entrance doors, refer to Jewish holidays by using pic- torial elements associated with them. They are as follows: 1) The High Holidays ? Shofar and Tallith. 2) Pesach ? Elijah's cup and the Hag- gadah. 3) Shabbat ? sabbath candles, kid- dush cup. 4) Chanukah ? Dreidel, chanukiah. 5) Shavuot ? Tablets of the Law. 6) Purim ? groggers, megillah. Since the Social Hall becomes unified with the Sanctuary for services on the High Holidays, new door handles in the design of a Shofar were added to the doors. Special push-plates were also added, repeating those on the Sanctuary doors. THE ENTRANCE WAY to the main lobby, was the last to be revised. The two massive new doors are fourteen feet in height, and are flanked by two stained-glass and mosaic panels. The old metal tubing supports of the en- trance canopy on the outside, were unified, stuccoed and painted. A specially designed Mezuzzah was affixed on the right side post. Carved into the doors are mythical figures from out of our ancient history. They refer to the Cheru- vim which Moses ordered the artist Bezalel to carve over the Tabernacle con- taining the Tablets of the 10 Commandments. Two similar ones supposedly guarded the Tabernacle in Solomon's Tem- ple, and also decorated the walls and the doors of the Tem- ple. According to latest archae- ological thought, they were believed to be winged lions with human faces. In the Bible frequent reference is made to other kinds of Angels called Seraphim, who had six wings ? two to cover their faces, two to cover their feet and two to fly with. The Prophet Ezekiel describes the Cheruvim as hav- ing four human faces and four wings with "the likeness of hands under their wings." In the present design, Mr. Ray fused all of these ideas together into the depiction of the mythical Cheruvim. The Biblical quotation, in the original Hebrew: "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise" adorn the carved doors. The Hebrew letters were designed to "float" over the figures of the Cheruvim. The flanking slabs of the entrance way use a special kind of glass, and are inset with gold mosaic pieces made in Italy and Israel. The gold mosaic on the front of the slabs spell out the quotation stated above, in the English language. The glass is of special thickness, and is almost impervious to dam- age. Because of its weight and thickness, it had to be set within special plastic and concrete binding, and reinforced with steel rods contained within the concrete. The front surface of this special stained-glass easily catches and transmits light. It thus displays a unique and beautiful luminous quality. The back of the two doors (seen from inside the lobby) are carved with three elements intimately in- volved in the Temple and Jew- ish life. The ears of corn, the olive branch and the cluster of grapes, are mentioned in Bibli- cal incidents from Genesis to Chronicles. These are pertinent reminders, when leaving the Synagogue, of the richness of life and of the Jewish values the Synagogue represents, in- cluding our insatiable quest for Peace. The back of the mosaic slab ? inset with chunk stained- glass ? bears on either side the abstract representation of the pillars of fire and smoke which led the Children of Israel through the desert during the exodus from Egypt when "the Lord went before them." It is believed that the two pillars which stood before the Temple, represented the same event and served as a constant reminder of God's personal involvement in the Covenant. The doors are finished with magnificent, specially designed handles and push-plates, and are mounted with specially designed hardware to allow for easy operation in spite of their massiveness. THE BURNING BUSH sculpture is made of steel and metal. Its base, also of welded steel was covered with cement stucco and painted. Lighting from within the sculpture as well as on the outside, has been designed to emphasize its beauty during the hours of darkness. A bronze plaque, explaining the symbolism involved, has been affixed to the sculpture base. It reads as follows: "When the children of Israel were slaves in the land of Egypt, God told Moses to lead them to freedom ... 'in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush, and the bush was not consumed.' This steel and bronze sculpture, designed by Eric Ray and fabricated by Daniel Gluck, represents the "burn- ing bush" in the biblical story. Its design is made from the Hebrew letters in the names ascribed to God in the Torah. The thirteen feet of its total height from the ground, is a reminder of the Jewish people and their faith. Today there are thirteen million Jews in the post-holacaust world. Thirteen is the number of principles basic to the Jewish faith as expounded by Maimonides, and it marks the year of life when a Jew accepts his or her religious responsibility. The "burning bush" today symbolizes the Jewish people who were "not consumed" in the Nazi holacaust, and who have been given new life in the United States and in the State of Israel." OPPORTUNITY FOR DEDICATIONS... With the extensive remodeling and beau- tification work now complete, the Board of Directors is pleased to provide an oppor- tunity to all Temple members to dedicate permanent portions of the building and its facilities. Dedications may be made to me- morialize the revered memory of beloved departed, or to honor any living person or persons or to remember any given event or occasion. Dedications may also be made sim- ply as a philanthropic gesture of faith and allegiance to the Temple, the only institu- tion of its kind in the city and county. In all instances, the names of those who dedicate, as well as the names of those in whose hon- or or in whose memory the selected item is dedicated, will be permanently inscribed in bronze and perpetuated. An appropriate date will be determined by the Board of Di- rectors, at which time the dedication cere- mones will take place. Listed on the next few pages are the vari- ous items in the buildings, which are now available for any dedicatory purpose. Please use the enclosed card and postage free envelope to indicate your preference. Inquiries concerning any phase of the dedi- cation program should he directed to the Executive Director. These inquiries will he given prompt and careful attention. Your check should be made payable to Temple Beth Sholom, and as a contribution it is tax deductible. SANCTUARY 1. $25,000.00 ? THE PULPIT 2,?8,"000.00 ?? WALL OF CREATION - Met 2h?}#$00.00 ? ARK DOORS-f^rc A??UM 4_-5,000,00?THEETERNAL LIGHT t Mi* HuH*** -2t500.00 ? THE RABBI'S LECTERN? ** _JL?2,500.00 ? THE CANTOR'S LECTERN-^ iffcaJe^ --? TOR All READING TABLE?^ 8. 15,000.00 ?THE ORGAN - 9-.--1,000.00 ea-'? THE WINDOWS __~2mOO-efH-SANCTUARY SEATING (324)** . **First opportunity for seat dedications ivill be offered to regular sanctuary seat holders. Engraved nameplates will be installed on each seat. The Ark was already dedicated in memory of Dorothy and Samuel Friedman. Poroches for the Ark (inside drape) was already dedicated by the late Jack Entratter, past President. SOCIAL HALL J?&50,000.00---NAME FOR SOCIAL HALL 3 .__^OOO-.GO--THE PIANO He*"*" 4. 1,000.00 ea. ? WALL MENORAHS (4) THE SCHOOL ?J. $50,000.00 N A MF FOR SCHOOL BUILDING (HAW 2. 5,000.00 ea. ? INTERIOR CLASSROOMS (3) 3. 1,500.00 ea. ? FURNISHINGS FOR INTERIOR CLASSROOMS (3) 4. 6,500.00 ? NEW CLASSROOMS (IF AVAILABLE) 5. 1,500.00 ea. ? FURNISHINGS FOR NEW CLASSROOMS (IF AVAILABLE) THE LOBBY AREA 2. STAINED GLASS: --a^j^OOree-ea. ? WINDOWS AROUND SOCIAL ,- HALL ENTRANeE^POOKSlTr ____b)?bQQQ.OO ca. ? WINDOW S O V HCMEMORiAtr? _ TABLET - ___e)-130.00 ea. ? 1NSER1 WINDOWS ON SOCIAL /?tC ^ HALL ENTRANCE-POORS (6) 1. $15,000.00 ?RABBI'S STUDY 2. 10,000.00 ? CANTOR'S STUDY 3. 10,000.00 ? EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE 4. 10,000.00 ? BOARD ROOM 5. 18,000.00 ?LIBRARY 6. 25,000.00 ? KITCHEN FRONT and OUTSIDE of BUILDING 1. $25,000.00 ? THE MAIN ENTRANCE 2,?LOyOOOvO O-BURNING BUSH SCULPTURE GENERAL ITEMS TEMPLE BETH SHOLOM 1600 East Oakey Boulevard ? Las Vegas, Nevada 89105 (702) 384-5070 JOSEPH KOHN LEO A. WILNER Cantor Executive Director OFFICERS MEL EXBER President NATE ADELSON WILLIAM S. WEINBERGER First Vice President Second Vice President' FLORA MASON IRVING J. STEINBERG Secretary Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS ROBERT GALLOP ROBERTA GANG DAVE GOLDSTEIN DAVID GORDON ETTA HARMEL GEORGE KATZ DR. EUGENE KIRSHBAUM IRWIN KISHNER DR. MAURICE PEARLMAN SIDNEY PEILTE GEORGE RUDIAK CHESTER "BUD" SCHIFFMAN JOAN SHAPIRO MORRY SPENCER DR. LEON STEINBERG HARRY ZUMAR PAST PRESIDENTS *JACK ENTRATTER DANIEL GOLDFARB ALBERT GOOT MIKE GORDON STAN IRWIN LLOYD KATZ JACOB KOZLOFF HARRY C. LEVY JEROME D. MACK *NATE MACK ARTHUR MARSHALL MELVIN MOSS * ABRAHAM J. SCHUR *HARRY WALLERSTEIN JUSTICE DAVID ZENOFF *Deceased Please use the enclosed card and postage free envelope to indicate your preference. Inquiries concerning any phase of the dedi- cation program should be directed to the Executive Director. These inquiries will he given prompt and careful attention. Your check should he made payable to Temple Beth Sholom, and as a contribution it is tax deductible. WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEDICATED EFFORTS OF IRWIN MOLASKY, WHO SERVED AS THE BUILDING AND PLANNING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN DURING THE TIME OF THE REMODELING PROGRAM.