Author Archives: Rabbi Brant Rosen

About Rabbi Brant Rosen

I'm a rabbi, blogger, and activist with a special interest in Israel/Palestine justice work.

That I May Dwell Among Them

“And let them build Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” (Parashat Terumah, Exodus 25:8)

This week’s Torah portion has incredible resonance as our congregation puts the final touches on our new spiritual home in preparation for our return home this Sunday. That’s a worker above finishing the ark in the chapel; below, JRC member Kate Spector helps fill the Religious School cabinets with school supplies.

Countless devoted JRC members have worked tirelessly to prepare our new synagogue building for this long-awaited day. Just as the ancient Israelites constructing the tabernacle in the wilderness, we have learned that it is not the building, but the process of building that creates sacred community. During the course of this process, we have truly discovered what it means to have God dwell in our midst.

What Makes a Green Shul Green?

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JRC will be moving home this Sunday! If you’ve been reading my JRC Construction Diary updates over this past year and a half, you must surely know what a long, powerful trip this has been for our congregational community. And you will also know that our new synagogue building is a green shul, having been built according to sacred Jewish values of environmental sustainability.

What makes a green shul green, you may ask? Click below for your own personal tour…

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JRC Construction Diary #30

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Things are getting exciting as the contractor puts the final touches on JRC’s new home. They are looking to finish the bulk of the work this week so that we can get ready for an upcoming indoor air quality test, a requirement of LEED certification by the US Green Building Council.

The picture above shows the cypress that wraps along the ceiling of our first floor chapel. The shot below shows the cypress slats that have installed along the sanctuary wall. Just to make things official, our name went up on one of the gabion walls in front of the building (second pic down) and beneath this you can see our front entryway. It features a ceremonial door made of reclaimed maple trees from our former site. The last two pix offer views of the kitchen and of a men’s room respectively.

The big move will take place during the first week in February. On 2/8-9 we will hold our final Shabbat services in our temporary site (Shaarei Tikvah in Chicago) then on Sunday, February 10, we will joyfully process with JRC Torah scrolls as we bring them to our new home!

Stay tuned for more…

JRC Construction Diary #29

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The final interior finish continues. The two pix below show the reclaimed cypress slats that are being installed along the walls of the sanctuary. The bottom pic: the metal overhead hood for the kitchen stove. (The stove itself will be delivered next week.)

The other big news of the week is that we have, at long last, received our final move in date: February 4. JRC’s triumphant return to 303 Dodge is finally in sight!

JRC Construction Diary #28

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While there is still a bit of final exterior work to be done, the majority of the work now is primarily interior finish. The pic above shows a lovely view of the bimah construction. You can see how the steps have been cut out and run along the periphery. When finished, the bimah floor will be made of dark walnut.

A radically different kind of picture can be found below. Now why would I possibly be showing you a close-up shot of a toilet handle? This is a feature of JRC’s water saving “dual flush” toilets: you pull the handle up for liquid waste (which needs less water) and push down for solid waste (which uses more water). Our toilets will clearly necessitate a new consciousness raising effort for bathroom usage in our new building. (JRC members: consider yourselves on alert!)

Below this are two views of the reclaimed cypress which is now being installed along the sanctuary walls. The final pic is a view of the Jerusalem stone walkway that leads to the building’s main entrance.

We’re kicking to the finish!

JRC Construction Diary #27

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We are now closing in on the final two months of construction. The exterior is now almost completely finished (see pic above.) The next pic below offers include an interior view of the sanctuary. You can see the framework for the bimah platform being constructed and the sound baffle on the left, which will hang directly over the Torah reading table. The second pic down shows reclaimed cypress slats that are currently being installed on the chapel walls and ceiling. (Cypress is a main feature of our building that will also figure prominently in our sanctuary.) Below this is an interior view of our main staircase looking down from the third floor. The next pic shows our parking lot across the street. It has now been completely paved and striped (though it might be hard to tell with all that snow.)

The second pic from the bottom shows one of the cabinets and counter tops in the Religious School workroom. All our cabinet faces and shelving are made from Dakota Burl, which is a wood-like material made from recycled sunflower husks. At bottom there is a photo of the tile in one of the bathrooms. All of the sinks and toilets have been delivered to the site and the plumber will start installing them next week.

We continue to move along with construction, most of which is essentially finish work, such as millwork, installation of doors, counter tops and other final pieces. The bimah will be completed and the walls of the sanctuary will be worked on so that the cypress siding can be installed.

Finally: our local NBC affiliate, NBC5 recently featured JRC’s new building on the evening news. Click here to watch!

JRC Construction Diary #26

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We can safely say construction has entered the “home stretch” phase (not a technical term). As you can see from the pic above, the south side exterior is almost complete. The glass on the curtainwall should be installed in the next week or two. The pic below offers a close up view of the gabion fences which run along the south and east side of the building. The fence on the front of the building is approximately four feet tall and filled with pieces of brick, stone and other material from other buildings that were recently demolished. This material would typically go into a landfill and has been reclaimed to be used in our fences. (In the original building plan, gabion was to be used for the entire exterior shell. In the end, we opted for reclaimed cypress instead.)

The next two pix down show our building’s white reflective roof. Most homes and buildings in America, in fact, are built with dark roofs that absorb heat, forcing air conditioners to work up to 20% longer and use a fifth more power. JRC’s reflective roof will help our air conditioning system to work more efficiently, especially during peak usage hours. The small domed items on the second pic down are Solartube skylights that will let natural light into our kitchen.

The second pic from the bottom shows the interior of one classroom and the final shot shows the new sidewalk across the street from our building. We will be working on the remaining sidewalks around the property over the next couple of weeks.

JRC Construction Diary #25

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Much progress since my last construction update. As you can see from the pix above and below, the framing for the curtainwall on the south face of the building has now been installed. The glass for this façade will be installed over the next week or so. Two pix down: a shot of the ceiling grid that is just going up in the second floor corridor and below that is a sample of the ceiling tile in one of the classrooms. Second from the bottom is a view down the elevator shaft and the drill that will bore a 27 foot deep hole for the piston that will power our large elevator. Finally, there is a photo of the frame of the large retractable door that will separate our sanctuary and social hall.

The move in date (end of January) is coming quick – we’re counting down in weeks now!

JRC Construction Diary #24

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As we enter the home stretch of our construction project, the changes in our building are becoming less dramatic than from earlier this summer (Sadly, drywall taping and sanding is just not a very photogenic event…) Still, above and below you can see some nice pix of the exterior. Above shows the wood beginning on the front facade. The stair treads are due in this week and the metal and glass curtainwall will follow closely behind. The other photo is of the west side wall, which is almost finished, except for an opening at the third floor. We are waiting for the large movable door that will separate the sanctuary and social hall. As soon as that is delivered later this month, the west wall will be closed up and the entire facade will be finished.

The next pic down shows the east wall of the chapel. You can see the ark opening set into the wall on the right, clad in Jerusalem stone. The bottom picture shows the west wall of the social hall, with the drywall now complete.

Night of Our Disavowal: A Sermon for Kol Nidre

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Here’s an excerpt from the sermon I gave this past Friday on Erev Yom Kippur:

In the end, I believe the path set out for us by our tradition guides us still. The violence in our midst cannot be ignored or wished away. We must acknowledge it, we must face it, and yes, we must respond to it. For our own sake, for the sake of all who dwell on earth, we must disavow the use of violence to solve our conflicts. Whether it be the violence in our own homes, or the use of military force to address complex political situations, we must be ready to confront and repudiate the violent impulses that reside deep within each and every one of us if we are ever to find a way toward a truly just and peaceful world.

If you’d like to read the full text, click below:

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Shalom Rav

A Blog by Rabbi Brant Rosen

Author Archives: Rabbi Brant Rosen

About Rabbi Brant Rosen

That I May Dwell Among Them

What Makes a Green Shul Green?

JRC Construction Diary #30

JRC Construction Diary #29

JRC Construction Diary #28

JRC Construction Diary #27

JRC Construction Diary #26

JRC Construction Diary #25

JRC Construction Diary #24

Night of Our Disavowal: A Sermon for Kol Nidre