NEWS ON THE MOVE! KOL SHOFAR ON THE MOVE! MARK YOUR CALENDARS! GRAND OPENING OF OUR BUILDING! We are very excited to be returning to our beautiful building in Tiburon this summer. Please plan to join us for Opening Weekend, August 27- 29 Friday, August 27 at 7 PM Return of the Torahs from Westminster to Kol Shofar Sunday, August 29, 2010; 11 AM – 2 PM Join us for live music, kids' activities, food, plenty of ruach.... We look forward to being together in our new home.  Watch this space for the addition of information in the coming weeks. TWO MONTHS AND COUNTING!  –  June 27, 2010 ON THE MOVIE presents THE ARCHITECTS' TOUR or "Extreme Makeover" (Kol Shofar Style) Video: Madeleine Clark April 26, 2010 ON THE MOVIE presents VIRTUAL TOUR 2 The Sequel is Even Better than the Original. (Like “Godfather 2", but without all the shooting.) and… COMING AUGUST 29  To 215 Blackfield “The Real Thing” You’ll feel just like you’re in our “new” synagogue…because you are! THE NEW KOL SHOFAR IN LIVING 3-D SEE IT. LIVE IT! April 23, 2010 With the scaffolding down, the Beit Am and the main entrance are just  amazing! More new photos at Gallery on the Move. –Ron Brown April 8, 2010 Two important milestones in the last few days of construction: In the first picture you can see the first fabric panel stretching between the beams in the ceiling of the sanctuary. In the second, we see the Jerusalem stone which is being put into place on either side of the main entrance to the Synagogue. More photos at Gallery on the Move. –Ron Brown March 26, 2010 View of the Pew A sample pew received – very comfortable: –Ron Brown Kol Shofar THE TOUR RAVE REVIEWS! January 31, 2010 Is it too early to order my High Holy Days tickets? We always comment on how the holy days are so early or so late. This year it won't matter because our community will be home again – and what a home it is!            – Iris Lax ----------------------------- What a wonderful structure!  Even in its unfinished state, the special feeling of the building and space pours through and we know that this will be a place where our spirituality will soar.  We cannot wait to say our first Shecheayanu in our sacred, elegant and uplifting sanctuary.  Thank you for your inspiring work!        – Lorraine Harris ----------------------------- It was so exciting to see the building progress. The use of natural light in both the Beit Am and Beit Knesset is wonderful. Although the reconfigured Beit Knesset will seat 500, it feels very intimate with the torah table so accessible to much of the seating--and the domed ceiling is truly a previously hidden, but now discovered, jewel.      – Elaine Levy ----------------------------- I was amazed and delighted at the size of the multi purpose room and thought that the planning that went into it was smart and functional. I loved the various skylights and their purposes for effect and practicality in function and beautification of the sanctuary. I loved the energy and pride of the various docents that echoed throughout the building. I liked the fact that we were guided by Kirk Kim who has ‘hung in there’ during this whole process. He is such a gentleman without any axes to grind and such a ‘fixture’ at Kol Shofar. Finally, I noticed that the last tour was given by the Cahill foreman who appeared as excited as any docent to show this structure.  What a comment on the seemingly symbiotic relationship between Cahill and the congregation. This is testimony to Howard Zack Jarred Polsky, Ron Brown  and all involved in this beautiful journey.      –Jim Condit ----------------------------- Soaring, serene and light-filled sanctuary a welcoming and sacred space a building to unify and strengthen our sacred community Can't wait for our move into this wonderful space!!                      – Deborah Jacobsen ----------------------------- It’s so beautiful! I’ve seen in my share of synagogues - we all have. I can tell you unequivocally that I was awestruck during the tour of our half-finished Beit Knesset. It didn’t feel like just a building. It wasn’t just beautiful. It felt like holy space. It is already sacred, from its overarching dome, embracing future daveners, to its accommodations for all of us, old and young, with consideration for our neighbors. It was easy to imagine the future. I could hear the sounds of food preparation coming from the kitchens, the niggunim in the foyer where we will say blessings and wash our hands, the chatter in the Beit Am where we will eat, attend events and meet for creative purpose. I could hear the song of prayer as I walked into the sanctuary, comforted that parents and children will be included in the best possible way. I could hear the excited calls of friends meeting in the hallways. Ami and I even found holiness in a structural adjustment. A large round skylight illuminates the Ark. We were informed that, because of the window’s size and shape, it needed extra support. The glass had to be divided into sections. We looked up, and there it was, the divisions forming a Shin, the letter that represents a name for God (Shaddai), the same letter formed when wrapping t’fillin, found on mezuzot we place on our doorposts, and now shining down upon us through our synagogue “chuppah.”                    – Abby Caplin ----------------------------- I was very emotional as I drove away after the informative tour Howard Zack gave of our emerging new home.  We have been members of Kol Shofar since we met in a drafty school basement in Larkspur around 26 yrs ago. For the past 15 yrs we have been waiting for a new synagogue building.  But, after many frustrating false starts, to finally see our new building emerging like a butterfly from a chrysalis is quite wonderful. . Dare I say miraculous?  There can be no doubt that it will be infinitely more functional and beautiful than our old building was!   Indeed, it is possible that our senior Rabbi may not have to put pots around his office to catch the rain that drips in when we have a rainy winter.  However, it will remain for us, the Kol Shofar community, to breathe life into the structure, to create memories, to make our new house a home, filled with  – laughter, prayer and sharing.  I can't wait!                – Doreen Gluckman Kantor ----------------------------- Todah Rabah to our tour guides, the Building Committee, the Capital Campaign Committee, the Membership Committee, our staff, and all our members who are making this dream come true. February 5, 2010 With the framing of the sanctuary moving toward completion, our workmen are building a full scale replica of a small portion of what will be the sanctuary wall. It is really lovely!                       – Ron Brown Congregation Kol Shofar presents ON THE MOVIE A THRILLING 4.5 MINUTE TOUR OF THE SITE OF OUR "NEW BUILDING" SIX MONTHS IN THE MAKING! Starring Howard Zack, Jared Polsky and Ron Brown. Music by Jeremy Brown (Ron’s son). Produced by the many generous members of Congregation Kol Shofar. Directed and Edited by David Elkind. Now playing at the website below. Rated: K January 15, 2010 For some weeks, the day to day progress has been subtle, while the electricians have been running conduit in the walls and the plumbers have been installing pipe. The last few days have seen some major milestones. In the first photo, you can see the first insulation batts going into the roof over the sanctuary.  The second shows all 7 skylights, now permanently open with the installation of glass into the openings. The third photo shows the very first sheet rock panels, in this case going onto the ceiling in the catering garage. Over the upcoming weeks, the new walls will slowly be taking shape as the framing is covered by dry wall. – Ron Brown December 29, 2009 It is still hard to get a feeling for the way that the sanctuary wall   will meet the ceiling, but it is getting easier every day.  This picture shows the framing now meeting the ceiling. – Ron Brown December 7, 2009 We're halfway there! The waning days of November marked a MAJOR MILESTONE for our New Building as we passed the halfway mark of construction! Time has flown since mid-April and our new home is largely now all erected - what remains is internal work and finishes, which is slower-going but no less exciting. Let us take you on a mini tour of the site at the halfway point so you can experience the beautiful new Kol Shofar.     –Howard Zack The Beit Am: Inside the Beit Am: Peering down the hallway between the sanctuary(right) and Beit Am (left): The Sanctuary: Can you Smell the Kugel? (Meat and Dairy Kitchens): Upper Parking Lot and Drop-off: And a Message from Above...   –Howard Cohen, pilot, photographer November 17, 2009 “I’ll build a stairway to Paradise with a new step every day”                    –Ira Gershwin, 1922 And every day, in every way we get closer to our beautiful “new” Kol Shofar   –Your Building Committee, 2009 "Aliyah" or the act of "going up" from our lower parking lot will take on a whole new sensation with our forthcoming new stairway – more gradual, much prettier (wood instead of concrete) and much more inviting. Upon reaching the summit, congregants will be treated to a welcome sight: to the left, the beautiful Beit Am, shown here in all its skeletal glory and straight ahead, the main entry to the Sanctuary. The newly erected wooden wall to the right of the Main Entry will hold our Congregation Kol Shofar sign.                       November 13, 2009 Up on a Roof In this picture, taken from Via Los Altos, you can see the final color of the now brown dome, as well as five of the skylights that have been cut into the roof over the sanctuary. –Ron Brown October 22, 2009 This photo is taken standing in the new lobby and looking down the corridor that will lead to the new Beit Am. To the right is a small part of the sanctuary. Despite the rains of the last two weeks, we continue to see remarkable progress on the building. In this photo you can see the new kitchen and bathroom area in the foreground, the Beit Am back and to the right, and the beginning of the removal of the roof from the dome. Over the next two weeks the dome will be completely re-roofed, and by mid-November the entire building should be walled and roofed so that construction can continue inside without interference from winter weather. –Ron Brown October 8, 2009 Looking Back, Looking Forward At the end of the day following a week of remarkable construction on Blackfield Drive, I went back to the site. Virtually all the workers had gone. It was eerily quiet. I lingered in the sanctuary, under the kippah of the redwood dome, which is nothing short of breathtaking. There's a majesty about it that grabs your kischkes.    Then I stood in the middle of the steel framed, statuesque Beit Am. As I moved about, my mind carried in two directions. Moving backwards it was Yom Tov 5769, last September.  We were in our old junior high school cum synagogue and we were still but dreamers – dreamers who'd fought a monumental fight for 7+ years and had gotten…in any tangible construction sense…nowhere.     And then I blinked, came back to the present and Iooked around. What progress. Wondrous!    And then I blinked again. It was a year hence, Rosh Hashana 5771, September 8, 2010 to be exact, and the shul is teeming with congregants. In the Beit Am and the patio, every square inch is occupied   In the sanctuary, congregants are transfixed by the dome and the sacred space that envelops them.  They can’t believe that it's still 215 Blackfield. The excitement and awe and enchantment are palpable. It's nothing short of bone tingling bliss.   Let that be us, G-d willing, 348 days from now. Kol ha'Kavod to every one of you who have truly participated in a miracle… and may we count our many blessings. Gmar Chatima Tova.    – Howard Zack October 5, 2009 As our Rabbis have said: "We are more than a building. We are a congregation." The High Holy Days of 5770 proved it and sealed it. From humming the opening niggunim on Rosh Hashanah, to waving the blue and white lights of our people as we sang Oseh Shalom, to the lighting the Havdalah candle and exalting to the final blow of the shofar that welcomed 5770 on the birthday of the world, it was truly a time and a Palace fit for our “King”. "The Rosh Hashanah service at the Palace of Fine Arts was very special because even though the distance to the bima was much farther, the spirit and the warmth bridged the gap between the physical distance and the emotional/spiritual distance and that we felt the great feeling of being together. One of the great feelings about the service was that a lot of the children of both living and deceased members come back. When you see them in their 20 and 30s and 40s and they feel that this is their home and they’re are happy to be there and we can make a fuss over them, you realize that his is a very special thing about Kol Shofar. "   –Jeff Saperstein: Member for over 20 years "Wasn't it interesting how great the ruach was in that place? I think everyone was so very worried, and that our congregation really came together to help each other "through it".... and the warmth of that energy lit the place up." –Sandy Strauss Stern: Member for over 10 years "The dignity of the High Holy Days was unsurpassed, even in our home away from home. There was something beautiful about it. I haven’t experienced the emotions of High Holy Days services like these for years. When we got to Avinu Malkeinu, I really lost it."   –Marty Zelin: Member for one year "I’m also grateful for all the people who did so much work to put the services together and make it feel seamless for the congregants."   –Ellen Tobe: Member since 2002 "I was apprehensive about the huge theatre at the Palace of Fine Arts, but I thought our congregation maintained its intimacy and feeling. As usual it was nice greeting old friends and acquaintances and catching up with them as we moved into a new year. As a long time member going back to our schul on Magnolia, it’s great to see that, even away from “home” we’ve retained our closeness as we go from generation to generation."   –Norm Abrams: Member for over 20 years "The services were beautifully spiritual. There was a very warm and welcome feeling throughout."   –Robert Hernandez: New member "It was so well organized. No traffic or parking glitches. The people who worked on the services were so well, organized. Best of all, it felt comfortable and warm."   –Newt Harband "On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Mark Levy and the entire team for all the extraordinary effort coordinating the Rosh Hashanah weekend. With all of the changes, all of the uncertainties, all of the unknowns, the holiday proceeded beautifully. The set up from the entrance to the lobby, to our converted sanctuary looked great. To our congregation, it went as smoothly as if we were doing this every year. God forbid. All of your hard work, caring and fretting are appreciated and paid off and your gift meant wonderful Holy Days for our congregation. Thank you again. I’d also like to thank the Honor Committee Chairs for all of your effort, graciousness and, the extraordinary appearance of smooth and graceful coordination, throughout the Holy Days. Our entire congregation are beneficiaries of your attention to detail and caring. You are wonderful." –Josh Steinhauer: Board President and member since 2002 "It felt like being inside of the Ruby slippers…"   –Rebecca Preis: 9 years old Nice metaphor, Rebecca. We hope your Ruby Slippers transport you and yours and all of our congregation to a year of peace and hope and a healthy and happy return to our new home on Blackfield Drive for High Holidays 5771. September 24, 2009 In the last 4 days, the structure of our new Multipurpose Room has been almost completed. In this photo, you can see the old building to the far right, the connecting lobby, and then the frame for the Multipurpose Room. –Ron Brown September 15, 2009 Getting Ready for High Holidays 5771 Every day stands to bring more and more discernible excitement as we move well beyond the infrastructure "below the radar screen" stage and onto the "sexy" stage of building and being able to see being built, the buildings we will occupy. 1. Concrete poured for Sanctuary stairs   For more photos taken at this stage, including the double permanent wall, placing in place of beams, and concrete poured for the upper parking lot, see the gallery page, here (and click on photos in gallery to enlarge.) –Howard Zack September 2, 2009 We have walls! August 31, 2009 Another remarkable day in the history of our  building project as the slab for the new sanctuary was poured.  The picture here shows the finished product, with just some final polishing left. The area in the back will be tiered seating, and will be poured sometime in September.         –Ron Brown Prayers provide foundation for new, domed sanctuary by Amanda Pazornik, staff writer for the J- Members of Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon didn’t have to travel as far as Israel’s Western Wall in hopes of having their prayers answered. In fact, all they had to do was maneuver through a construction zone, find a spot on a makeshift balcony and watch their rabbis do all the work. On Aug. 17, about 70 congregants perched on scaffolding inside the future site of Kol Shofar’s domed sanctuary to watch rabbis Lavey Derby and Chai Levy bury hundreds of their prayers beneath the gravel. The small sheets of paper and even children’s pictures were to become a permanent part of the future floor once the concrete was poured.  For the full article, click here. August 24, 2009 Today was a banner day at the Kol Shofar construction site as the slab for the Multi-purpose Building was poured. In this picture, the slab is about half finished, and workmen are directing the pouring and beginning to smooth out the remainder. In one week, our new sanctuary will have a slab as well.          Almost  8 years after first being a gleam in our eye, today Kol Shofar's communal  dream is being concretized. Literally. Here is the pouring of the Multipurpose Room foundation, 10:42 AM, August 24 2009: Shehechiyanu v'Keemanu lazman hazeh. Amen.       –Ron Brown & Howard Zack For more construction photos, see On the Move Gallery. Thanks to David Elkind and Carol Tabb for these new photos. August 21, 2009 They have now begun to put re-bar into the sanctuary in preparation for pouring the slab on the 31st. You can see from this picture that the center of the sanctuary is the position where the Torah Table will be placed, and from which prayer will be lead. So the structural center and the spiritual center of our new home are in the same position.          –Ron Brown August 20, 2009 Your prayers will last forever at Kol Shofar The origins of this particular idea sprung from our longstanding commitment to involve and integrate our congregation into our New Building project in as many ways as possible. In this case, conceptually, we wanted to make our congregants a visceral and integral part of the new sanctuary. We opted to create a foundation for the sanctuary by pouring 400 tons of gravel, in lieu of wood framing. This created a special opportunity to emulate the hallowed tradition of the Kotel, where worshippers have been placing personal prayers in its crevices for centuries. In our case, we have enabled our congregants to embed their prayers in the floor of the sanctuary, before concrete was poured over the gravel.   And thus on August 17, nearly 100 congregants gathered to hear a Poem of Prayer (see below) and sing songs and witness our Rabbis Derby & Levy, under the sacred canopy of our glorious wooden dome, clamber down onto the gravel foundation and delicately and reverentially place some 100 individual congregant hand-written prayers precisely where the Ark and the Torah table will be in the new sanctuary. Those prayers will be bound up forever in our community.   On the street, one summer evening, I saw a woman writing words on paper unfolded on a locked wooden door. And she folded it and put it between the door and the mezuzah and went away. And I didn't see her face nor the face of the person who would read the note, and I didn't see the words. A stone rests on my desk with the word "Amen" written on it. It is a piece of a tomb, a vestige from a Jewish cemetery destroyed a thousand years ago, in the city where I was born. One word, "Amen," is cut deep into the stone— A hard and final Amen for all that is past and will not return, a soft and melodious amen like a prayer. Amen and amen, and may it be His will. Tombstones break, words pass, words are forgotten, lips that uttered them turn to dust, languages die like people, and other languages are resurrected, gods in the heavens change, gods come and go. Prayers remain forever.                              ~Yehuda Amichai   There will be a commemorative depiction mounted in or near the sanctuary, showing this hallowed occasion of our Rabbis making our congregants’ prayers one with the sanctuary – so that all who worship there will know beneath where they are davening, dwells the yearnings and blessings and hopes of our community.     – Howard Zack I was very struck by the look on everyone's face.  For those of us who have been working on it for so long, this was simply another step, but for our congregants, having suffered through the pains of the town hearing process and our own fundraising efforts, it was really uplifting to see how awed they all were, because even now, you can see what the new facility will look like. In the end, that's why we're all doing it - for the uplifting of our community.         –Bruce Raful For more photos of this event, and of the construction, see On the Move Gallery. August 13, 2009 The basin is now filled with gravel, bringing the floor of the sanctuary up to its final height. Workers are adjusting the gravel to form the bowl that will be the sanctuary floor. This photo is taken from the rear of the sanctuary space looking towards the "ark." The worker in the center is standing just about where the Torah table will be, and where we will be placing prayers on Monday. After that, the floor will be covered with a waterproof membrane, then with re-bar, and finally with the concrete slab.     – Ron Brown July 28, 2009 An extraordinary change is taking place at the site of our new sanctuary. An approximately 8 foot high concrete wall has been constructed around the new sanctuary, electrical and plumbing ducts have been laid on the old floor, and the entire space is now being filled with gravel. The picture shows the gravel being "spit" by a machine into the space. By the time they are finished, 400 tons of gravel will have been used, and they will then be ready to pour a new floor. – Ron Brown July 22, 2009 CHAI on the hill… Over 18% (chai) of our work has been completed! We’re on time and on schedule to have our beautiful new synagogue ready for the High Holy Days 2010. The re-barred retaining wall for the sanctuary, which reveals the earliest hint of its new shape. From Groundbreaking, six short weeks ago, progress continues apace as our site is transformed. Site work as well as Multi-purpose room and sanctuary construction is moving swiftly ahead. Stay tuned as our new “Home on the Hill” takes shape. Pouring concrete for the foundation footings for the Multi-Purpose room. For more new photos of the construction, see our On the Move Gallery. July 1, 2009 Sanctuary Taking Shape Taken from the position of the old Bimah, one can begin to see the structure of the new sanctuary take shape in the form of reinforcing rods that surround the developing room.  – Ron Brown June 19, 2009 Our Golden Dome Construction passed a milestone this week as the demolition of the sanctuary came to an end. This picture was taken from the point where the viewing stand was at the time of the groundbreaking. The platform at the second level straight ahead is all that remains of the old Beit Am and the staircase down from the main entrance has disappeared as well as all of the structures around it. Outside of the building, the workers have finished installing rebar underneath what will become the Multi-Purpose Room, and on Monday the footings for the MPR will be poured.              – Ron Brown June 8, 2009 Fiddlers on the Roof Since the groundbreaking demolition has proceeded, virtually the entire outer wall that faces the former grassy plaza is now gone. You can see what it looks like on the picture on the left. Also, last week our new Multi-purpose Room grew roots with the drilling of 42 twelve-foot deep holes and these holes being filled with concrete to form piers for the new building.    – Ron Brown May 31, 2009 We came Over 400 members of Kol Shofar came back to Blackfield to celebrate our official groundbreaking.  We were joined by friends and neighbors, contractors and lenders, our local clergy, and community leaders including the past and current Mayors of Tiburon and our State Senator, Mark Leno. We saw   We marveled at how our “new” synagogue was taking shape and witnessed the miracle of the “hidden” dome that will crown our new sanctuary. We also heard from our Board President, Joshua Steinhauer, our Architect, Susan Colliver, and from the Committee Chairs and others responsible for funding, planning and rebuilding our new home. We sung with Rabbi Levy and were inspired by Rabbi Derby and felt good about our personal contributions to the future of Kol Shofar. We dug From the breaking of the earth, to marveling at the top of our sanctuary-in-progress, it was a day to remember and share with all our members in this blessed community in which we will grow larger in numbers and closer to one another and to our G-d. MORE PHOTOS OF THE GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY ARE ON THE On the Move Photo Gallery. A word from one of our architects.... Good Morning! It’s great to see the community back on site again… I’m Susie Coliver, one of the many architects in our office, engineers and landscape architects not in our office, and contractors who continue to focus our attentions on this remarkable, and rather complex project, every day as we have for the past several years of planning. Sometimes, looking at a construction site, within the first few weeks of starting up, it looks more like a deconstruction site. Some may see more of what’s been undone, than the tremendous amount of prep work that’s been accomplished over the past six weeks, since the building permit was issued. Allow me to give you a sense of what’s happened since you’ve been here last: Of course, items to be saved have been stored for safe-keeping. Site Clearing and demolition is underway. The sheetrock has been removed from the area which had been the sanctuary. As you will have noted, the framing of the old dropped ceiling under the dome has been removed, as has the floor of the sanctuary. As Howard noted, the interior is reminiscent now of an excavated European ruin which served as the locus of some sort of  exotic ritual, long since abandoned, but still evoking the spirit of an unseen power. On a more prosaic note: The site for the Beit Am has been cleared. Trenches for the grade beams have been dug. Structural demolition has begun. Pot holing for utilities is underway. Rebar and Structural Steel submittals are being reviewed. Rough grading for the new upper parking lot is in progress. Selection of the Jerusalem stone for the walls flanking the entry is happening. The first two pay applications have been submitted by the General Contractor Shop drawings for the pews are underway. The concrete mix formula has been submitted and reviewed. The ceilings of the lower corridor have been exposed so new systems can be strung through them. Invisibly, most of you have just stepped right over possibly the most remarkable and painstaking piece of pre-planning of all: The lower parking lot, now completely vacated except on special occasions like today, is serving as a huge drawing board!  Hammers have served as pencils as the entire shape of the new Beit Knesset Gadol has been delineated down to the inch with metal discs. This full size mock-up of the sanctuary walls and dome, inscribed in the pavement, will allow Cahill Contractors to study every connection and odd angle before making the final cut, so as to cleanly and efficiently anticipate each detail of this unusually shaped space. Now that the dome has been revealed we can see that far from the steeply rounded shape of a Brunelleschi cathedral, such as the Duomo in Florence, your dome will shelter us gently taking the shape of a yarmulke. At once voluminous and intimate, it will allow our musings to be elevated while sitting above us like a kipa. We, as you, forward to that day. May 22, 2009   After just a few weeks of work, it is beginning to be  possible to imagine what the new sanctuary will look like. This picture is taken from the doorway of what used to be the Beit Am,  looking through what previously was the far wall and across to the  windows in back of the old sanctuary.  The dome is now completely open, with just a few pieces of the old framing and some pipes visible still that will be removed shortly.  I hope you will all be at the Groundbreaking on May 31 to see for yourselves what it will  look like. –Ron Brown May 21, 2009   In the J – Can you dig it? Kol Shofar Breaking Ground on New Facility by Dan Pine, staff writer At the big celebration Congregation Kol Shofar will throw for itself at the end of May, the main party favors will be shovels. After years of legal wrangling, the Tiburon synagogue is finally breaking ground on its long-planned remodel. “We’re all feeling elated to have reached the point that something real is happening,” said Ron Brown, a leader of the synagogue’s Capital Campaign Committee. The groundbreaking takes place May 31 on the Kol Shofar site. According to Brown, Kol Shofar clergy and administrative staff, many congregants and several local city and county dignitaries will be present. The project will gut the synagogue’s sanctuary and other facilities, replacing the former middle school site with a gleaming new structure. The construction comes after years of dispute with the Tiburon Neighborhood Coalition, which fought the project tooth and nail. Ultimately, the rulings of the Tiburon Town Council — and the wishes of Kol Shofar congregants — prevailed. “It’s entirely behind us,” added Brown. “It got ugly for a while, but the week before last we had a meeting in the neighborhood with our contractor and construction manager. We notified the entire neighborhood and only four people showed up. If there was still concern or a lot of anger people would have come to complain.” For the next 18 months, Kol Shofar congregants will be driving all over the area to take care of temple business. The synagogue has temporarily had to relocate its offices, religious school and sanctuary to various nearby locales while the work continues. “Sometimes people forget where they’re going,” said Brown. “Sometimes I forget where I’m going. But we knew there would be disruption.” April 27, 2009   OFFICIAL GROUNDBREAKING: Sunday, May 31 at the site of our once and future Kol Shofar. 11:00 AM – Noon CAN YOU DIG IT? Let's all take part in the history of our congregation. To learn more about the groundbreaking, see our Special Events page. Status Report: GOING DOWN... Thanks to David Elkind for these photos. More photos available on the Gallery on the Move page. COMING UP... "The destruction at the shul is breathtaking, uplifting and amazingly exciting. One cannot help but be transported upon seeing it – it is amazing! And after 7 years of anticipation, to actually see the beginning of what we've all worked so hard to achieve, gets your blood pumping!"                                –Howard Zack, co-chair, Building Committee "In just one week, our building has changed so that it is almost unrecognizable.  Demolition has proceeded inside the dome, with the removal of all the flooring, cabinets, and plumbing fixtures.  Just  today, the building was sealed up, so that the walls and ceilings can be removed without polluting the outside environment.  When the building is open again, in roughly 3 weeks, we expect the changes will be quite dramatic.  At the same time, the play areas in front of the building have been demolished, and the top soil removed from the entire area in front of the main entrance.  Top soil is being stored on site for eventual reuse, to minimize trucking up and down Blackfield, and keep the project as 'green' as possible."                                – Ron Brown, co-chair, Building Committee See you on May 31.  March 19, 2009       And here are the people who are making it happen: We'd love to add your name to this list. No gift is too large or too small. Kol Shofar belongs to all of us. To join the growing number of supporters of the Capital Campaign, please contact Diane Zack at 415.461.7404 or Barbara Waxman at 415.461.3610.   Anonymous  (13) Jonathan Aaronson Jack Abrams Maurna & Norman Abrams Julie King & Don Abramson Yami & Alexander Anolik Ruthanne Ranz-Appell & Gary Appell Kim Feigon & Steven Arenson Marsha & Andrew August Leah Baars Mary & Javid Bakhshi The Barlow Family Roma Barnes Ellen Barr Maxine Epstein & Geraldine Barr Dayle Smith Bell & Arthur Bell Tzahal Ben Avraham Carol & Leslie Benet Maria & Charles Benet Sherri Benjamin Robin Joy Berenson Jeanette Berger Judy Berger Maud & Serge Berguig Terri & Benjamin Berk Jeannine & Ian Berman Ron & Ellie Berman Shirley & Steven Berman Bernard Osher Foundation Barbara Garfien & Robert Berner Steve & Nancy Biegel Anne Zishka & Elliot Bien Nancy Franco Blum & Joseph Blum Aviva Boedecker Karen & Martin Bogetz Helen & Alan Bonapart Paul Bonapart Karen Borden Judith Borowsky The Brandis Family Gabriella Brown Rhea & Ron Brown Sue and Bob Brown in honor of Ruth & Harry Yaffee Robert Brownstein Lynn Bunim Deborah Burg-Schnirman & Rick Burg Amy & Bernie Burk Barbara & Michael Burney Gary Caine & Lori Feldman Phyllis & Shoshana Cantor Ami Goodman & Abigail Caplin Pat Carlone & Lois Lane Gary Charlestein Ruth and Michael Chavez and Family Serge Chemla Tessa & Fred Cherniss Maria Ramos-Chertok & Keith Chertok Leslie Citroen Bobbi & M. Todd Cohen Catherine & Howard Cohen Jo & Marc Cohen Mark Cohen Saul Cohen Barry Cohn Congregation Rodef Sholom A. Crawford Cooley Edye & Blaine Corren Adele Corvin Dana Corvin Scott Corvin Mindy Werner Crohn & Joel Crohn Adam Cummings Sharon & Ed Cushman Susan & Michael Dab Kerry Dario Lori & Larry Davidovitz Lisa Zukovsky & Stan Deck Ellen Demel Deck Alix & Lavey Derby Nancy Diamond Molly & Brett Dick Stephanie Dorfman Rabbi Shelly & Dr. Gail Dorph Laurie & Scott Dubin Manuelita Echeverria Julian & Shirley Ehrlich in memory of Michael Nissenbaum Elaine & David Elkind Lois & Charles Epstein Laura & Mark Epstein-Norris Wendy Erickson Ernest Lowenstein Foundation Bonnie Ross & Jordan Eth Noellette & David Falkow David Fankushen Barbara & Jeffrey Farber Bat Sheva Feld Phil & Lisa Feldman Sarah & Natan Fenner Lawrence Fiegenbaum Joan & Stephen Fierberg Gary Flandermeyer Lisa Gurwitch & Martin Fleisher John & Madeline Florence Barbara & Stewart Foreman Lisa Forma Cheri Forrester The Fox Family Claudia & Bruce Frankel Nora Contini & John Franklin Betty & Herbert Freudman Deborah Fricke Fried Family Arthur and Deborah Friedman and Family Esther & Sheldon Friedman Ilana Goldach Friedman Joanne & Bruce Friedman Mark Friedman Steven Friedman & Verna Wefald Tania Lowenthal & Shelley Friedman Vanessa & Marty Friedman Ida Gelbart* Norman & Samuel Gelbart In memory of Ida Gelbart Jacqueline & Alex Gerson Phyllis & Kenneth Gerstman Diane Sklar & Wayne Gilbert Elaine & Barry Gilbert Louise Gilbert Elon Ginzburg Joy & Bruce Goldberg Michael Goldberg Marilyn & Sanford Goldeen Miriam & Robert Goldfien Kathleen Jermaine-Goldklang & Lew Goldklang Deborah & Jonathan Goldman Diane Goldman Marcia & Mark Goldman Cathy & Philip Goldstein Hadassah Goldstein George Goodman Marilyn & David Goodman Chandra & Leonard Gordon Esme & Roy Gordon Frances Green Arlene & Roland Greenberg Jayne & Mitchell Greenberg Claudette Greenblat Jodi & Gary Grossfeld Steve & Jacqueline Grossman The Gumbiner Family Chaya Gusfield Alan Hakimi Marissa & Jeffrey Halbrecht Matt & Ara Haligman Newton J. 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Kaplan & Rebecca Sarokin Nancy Karvell Shoshana & Eric Kashnow Laurie & Art Kassel Daniel & Judy Katsin Lisa & Steven Katz Sharon & Seth Kaufman Susan & Gene Kaufman Debbie & Robert Kay Philip & Anne Marie Klahr Judith Klayman Smith Dennis Klein Rita & Lou Klein Phyllis Idell Kligman & Robert Kligman Yvonne & Dan Klitsner John Knox Susan Kolb Cary & Manny Kopstein Bethan Powell & Abner Korn Celeste & Alan Krepack Alison Kreshin Midge Kretchmer Neil Kugelmas Sandra & David Kurland Caryl & Kenneth Kurtzman Anna & Martin Lackner Fay Landau Laura & Scott Landress Thomas Lane Lansman Family Naomi & Robert Lauter Cynthia Lavagett Madeleine Laviano Steven Lee and Alyson Geller Alan Lefkof & Ann Gordon Michelle & Jeffrey Lerman Linda & Charles Lesem Jean Bertrand & Anthony Leuin Elliot Levin & Beverly Pinto Robert & Lorraine Levin Deborah & Gerald Levine Kristen & Mitch Levine Rhoda Levinthal Joan Levison Wendy & Ivan Levison Lauren & Paul Levitan Sandra Levitan Cindy Cohen Levy & Mark Levy Elaine & Bruce Levy Roger Studley & Chai Levy David Lichtman Kerin Lieberman Alexandra & Jack Liebster Elliot & Alice Liff Sari & Brian Lipschultz Louise Lipsey June Cooperman & Lawrence Litvak Kevin Mallon Ann Mannheimer Alberte Margoliash* Robert Margoliash Katherine & Robert Margolin Nina & Todd Margolis Laura Mason Robin & Bob Mayer Barbara & Jon McEntyre Barbara Meislin Lisa & Michael Meitus Carole Melis Menorah Park Robyn & Matthew Mercurio Nana Meyer Barbara & Bernard Meyers Carole & Merle Meyers Marlene & Randy Michaels Golda Michelson Marilyn Zimmerman & Robert Mickel Barbara Miller Beth & Scott Minick Stephanie Mink Brenda Gates-Monasch & Walter Monasch Judith Staples & Grant Morris Pamela Morton Don & Robin Moses Deborah & Richard Moskowitz Susan & Kevin Muck Wendy Shearn & Patrick Nance Joseph Napolitano Daliah Neuberger Jeanne Nielsen Daphna & Samuel Noily Amy Voorhes & Selwyn Notelovitz Lynn Oberlander Anne Oklan Kristine Madsen & Jeffrey Olgin Judith Yanover & Anthony Oliphant Susie & Martin Orbach Paul Orbuch Sonia Orbuch Marjorie Ornelas Parent Care, Inc. Illana Zauderer Parker & Aaron Parker Katherine Peck Vickie Peilen Barbara Penza Jordana & Michael Perman Ruth Pheffer Karen Polivy Paula Polivy Debbie Levy & Jared Polsky Joy Poust Carolyn & Joseph Preis Scott & Patricia Price Shifra & Stephen Pride Raffel Lisa & Andrew Primack Ellen Eissler & Jon Pritikin Propel Software Corporation Janet & Brian Quint Varda & Irving Rabin Rafael Family Harriet & Bruce Raful Evelyn Ranz Lori Rathje Naomi & Martin Rayman Ami & Karen Raz Reiss Family Anne Warner-Reitz & Eric Reitz Barbara & Joel Renbaum Paul Resnick Deborah Resnikoff Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund Mary Ellen Richardson Jane & Peter Richmond Cynthia Rigatti Bonnie Riopelle Rabbi Bernie & Yetta Robinson Elika Rosenbaum Kira & Michael Rosenbaum Julie & Joshua Rosenberg Robert & Inez Rosenthal Sherrin & Philip Rosenthal Judith & David Rosner Yardena & Nathan Roth Riva Rothenberg Marcia & Michael Rubenstein Enid Rubin Mark & Tobi Rubin Toby E. & Robert Rubin The Rubinstein Family Julie Fingersh & David Rudnick Dolores & Fred Rudow Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation Karen & Steven Sager Alan Sankin & Tevia Barnes Ilene Serlin & Jeff Saperstein Ginni Saunders & Ethey Davis* Bonni & Steven Schiff Eric Schmier Lisa Lerner Schmier & Ken Schmier Dovey Schneider Lorin & Barry Schneider Susan Schneider Lucy & Marc Schneidman Susan & Michael Schoen Sara & Jeff Schottenstein Pam & Dov Schriber Andrew Schwartz Fred & Helen Schwartz Isis & David Schwartz Rachel Fierberg & Marc Schwartz Susan Schweit Susan & Carl Seletz Carol & Randolph Selig Steven & Madeline Shakin Judith Shaper Ruth Shavel Lorraine & Robert Sherman Jill Portman & Gary Shinner Orah & Larry Sholin Fred Siegel Linda & Sheldon Siegel Helene Siegel-Fotos Cecille & William Silver Rita Rosenbaum & Ivan Silverberg Todd Silverstein Nancy Simmons Doris & Ted Simon Dr. Paula A. Sitelman Scott & Madeleine Sklar Jackie & Larry Slayen Melissa Sugarman Slayen & Craig Slayen Bernard Slomovitz Barbara & Jesse Smith Glenda Smith Paula & Alan Smith H. Marcia Smolens Paula & David Snyder Steven Sockolov & Susan Snyder Wendy & David Solomon Saul Spivack Esther & Sander Stadtler Oscar Stadtler* Devorah & Larry Stadtner Robin & Michael Stallman Joshua Steinhauer & Patty Glatt Larry Stern Sandra Strauss Stern & Jon Stern Jay & Rohana Stone Rice Robyn & Eric Stone Tim Stone Anne & Sherman Strauss Larry & Barbara Strick Lyssa Friedman & Daphne Stuart Marilyn Sugarman Debbie & Craig Sultan Dawn Dobras & Eric Swergold Roselyne C. Swig Mark & Jackie Swoiskin Carol Tabb Iris & Paul Tandler Valli Benesch Tandler & Bob Tandler Eric Tepper Ellen Tobe Ruthellen & Monte Toole June & Milt Torn Carol & Norman Traeger Marcelle Cedars & Anton Traub Robin & Steven Tuch Steven Tulsky Robert Daniel & Cynthia Ulman Madelon van Lier Carol VanWijnen Lisa & Anthony Vidergauz Vivian Sherman & David Vogelstein Marilyn Waldman Marjorie Gans Walters & Philip Walters Paul Warner Marc Waterman Barbara & Scott Waxman Sondra & Norman Waxman Elana Maggal & David Weinfeld Cyndi Weingard Elyse & Barron Weinstein Jan Herr & Elihu Welber Francine Wenhardt David Werdegar Regina DeAngelis & Scott Willens Melvin & Gilda Winiker Frieda Winnick Zolan Charles & Frances Wisch Ruth Jaeger & Steven Wolf Ruth & Harry Yaffee* Charles & Alaina Yoakum Sandra Yuen Victoria Love-Yusim & Ronald Yusim Judith Y. Zaborowski Rainbow & Steven Zabronsky David Zack Diane & Howard Zack Jennifer Wolfe & Nolan Zail Renee Passy-Zale & Irving Zale Henry Zauderer Ilene & Marvin Zauderer Fay Zenoff Steve & Judy Zimmerman Mollee Sue & Jack Zoken Our deep appreciation also extends to: Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation • Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund • Koret Foundation • Bernard Osher Foundation • First Republic Bank February 23, 2009 FIRST SERVICES AT WESTMINSTER. WONDERFUL! Rev. Doug was there early, making sure everything was set up properly for us. Of course our guys, Kirk and Anthony, were working away making things right. the Davening was just lovely...acoustics in there are great for singing and praying aloud. (It was little tricker for some people hearing spoken words vs. singing and praying. We kept adjusting the sound system and we'll probably have more fiddling to do. If you have any issues with hearing you might need to try different locations....some folks today did better sitting a little further back rather than up front. Just the way the speakers are placed. Please let me know if you are having problems with this.) One of the old-time members of Westminster dropped in and asked if he could sit in the services. He was curious about how we prayed. Then he invited some of us to come to their Friday morning men's group. Rev. Barbara was there later in the morning, checking in. The head of their maintenance dept, a very nice guy named Jesus, was so helpful. These folks are just knocking themselves out to make us feel welcome. There is something so moving about seeing the mezuzah on the front door jamb, and the pictures of Lavey and Chai next to their ministers. Flo and some other folks put together a great Kiddush, as usual. Lots of extra work for her, adapting to new circumstances, some of which aren't that easy. People hung out late...it was a spirited time. Kirk and his crew have quite the job now. They come in, do all sorts of things to make the space right for us, then afterwards have to restore it so that on Sunday the folks at Westminster won't even notice that all of us were in their space the day before. Doing this while attending to a thousand other details of the transition to temp space. We're lucky to have guys who are so skilled and dedicated and so nice, even with all the stress. Lots of people out of town this weekend, including the NY adventurers, and you were all missed! Overall it was pretty amazing how smoothly things went. There are lots of little details to work out, but that is to be expected. I feel very optimistic about our situation and very, very grateful that we have such great space, welcoming hosts, and dedicated rabbis, staff and congregants making all this happen. —Shavua Tov, Steven Schiff February 13, 2009 New photos just added: See On the Move Photo Gallery OPEN LETTER TO WESTMINSTER Dear Doug,      We are writing to express our heartfelt gratitude to Revs. Huneke and Rowe and the entire congregation for the profoundly meaningful hospitality Westminster extended to Kol Shofar on February 8th, welcoming us into your midst as we embark on a 16 month sojourn away from our permanent home at 215 Blackfield, which will soon undergo redevelopment.      It is difficult for us to express how deeply touched we were by the throng of Church congregants who met us halfway up Blackfield Drive led by a phalanx of children carrying a banner, "Welcome Kol Shofar!", as we paraded to the Church. Begun in 2001, our bid to reconstruct our synagogue proved to be a very trying and protracted odyssey, fraught with neighborhood dissension which pained us greatly. We are now finally about to begin construction. To have this next chapter in our journey commence with such an outpouring of love and hospitality toward our community, augurs a remarkably harmonious stint "in the desert," away from our home and reassures us that the neighborliness we all yearn for in Tiburon is alive and well. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Westminster Church community for the thoughtfulness and care of your welcome on Sunday including a "Congregation Kol Shofar"  banner hanging on the outside of your building, hung photographs of our Rabbis Derby and Levy newly placed alongside those of Revs Huneke and Rowe in the front vestibule, and the conveyance of a key to the building to Rabbi Derby.  We are blessed to have you as neighbors and to be able to share your home.   –Howard Zack February 12, 2009   WE CAME What a day! February 8. A date to remember. We came to say “L’Hitraot. We’ll see you later, bigger and better” to our home on Blackfield Drive. We noshed, we schmoozed, we reminisced, and we listened to the red-hot music of Klezmer Soul while a group of Kol Shofarniks, ranging in age from 72 to 21 months, danced Israeli style with our “choreographer” Ilene Serlin. Our children reached for the roof in our jumpy house and for the cookies in our Beit Am. WE HEARD We were treated to delightful memories as expressed by our Rabbi Emeritus, David White, and a “Wow Moment” talk by Board President Josh Steinhauer. We sang our On the Move theme song, Yibaneh HaMikdash with Rabbi Chai and we were exhorted to build more than a beautiful new synagogue, but a closer, more engaged, more caring,” beloved community” by Rabbi Lavey.   Then, as Mark Swoiskin sounded the Kol Shofar, we carried our sacred Torahs up the stairs and on their way to their 18-month stay at Westminster. WE KVELLED On our way to our temporary sanctuary we were greeted by the Westminster community and smiled as we saw their children waving a welcoming banner for Kol Shofar. Inside the church, our two congregations blended in friendship and excitement as we heard from Reverends Barbara Rowe and Doug Huneke and Rabbis Chai Levy and Lavey Derby.   With both congregations cheering, we were given the keys to Westminster and Rabbi Derby and Reverand Huneke affixed a Mezuzah to the door of the Church.  It was indeed a WOW moment in a WOW day. Photos: Bernie Robinson More photos available at the new Gallery on the Move page, where we'll upload photos as they become available. February 3, 2009   WESTMINSTER WELCOME We've come to pray...and we've come to the right place! Read what our neighbors and soon-to-be landlords said about Kol Shofar and about this Sunday's event to their own community. Please see the attached newsletter from Westminster. Then, on Sunday, let's get together at Kol Shofar for fun, food, and fond goodbyes (for now) to our once and future synagogue and for our Parade of Torahs to our interim home where we'll be hosted by the Westminster congregation. Sunday, February 8, 2009 9:15 AM–12:15 PM Download flyer for more info. January 8, 2009   REMEMBER THIS DATE: FEBRUARY 8 IT'S A DAY YOU'LL NEVER FORGET. A day of joy, a day of memories, a day of fun, food and good friends, that you and your family can share and cherish for years. Sunday, February 8, 2009 9:15 AM–12:15 PM Say Lehitraot to our Kol Shofar Building! Download flyer for more info. To keep up to date on our move and the building progress, look for  information at the synagogue, in your Kol Shofar emails, "Connections" and at here, on the website.  December 12, 2008   BUILDING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS • Target move-out date: February 2009 • Target renovation & ground-breaking date: February 2009 • Target move-in date: in time for High Holy Days 2010 • Where will we be? See Directions page. • Save the Date: On Sunday, February 8, join us for Kol Shofar's closing ceremony and nosh. LOCATION. LOCATION. LOCATION. Directions to temporary Kol Shofar Locations WHAT: Kol Shofar's Office, Preschool, Board and Committee meetings, and most of our programs WHERE: Davidson Middle School Annex, 280 Woodland Ave., San Rafael.   WHAT: Beit Binah & Tichon WHERE: Kent Middle School, 250 Stadium Way, Kentfield   WHAT: Religious Services WHERE: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 240 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon   Todah rabah to Bruce Raful, Gary Grossfeld, Barbara Waxman and, of course, Mark Levy for all their efforts in making all this happen. STAY TUNED TO YOUR FAVORITE PROGRAMS at Davidson Middle School Annex. Most of our ongoing programs, Chavurot meetings, and Adult Education will also take place at the Davidson School Annex. These include our Talmud Class, Lunch and Learn, Panim el Panim, Rosh Chodesh Group, Philosophies of Judaism, Telling our Stories, Cinema Kol Shofar, and many others. VIDEO: ON THE MOVIE! GALLERY Check our gallery of "On the Move," groundbreaking, and construction photos. OUR TEMPORARY HOMES: Admin Offices are at: Davidson Middle School Annex 150 Lovell Avenue, San Rafael 415.388.1818 info@kolshofar.org  MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 970 Mill Valley, CA 94942 SERVICES Shabbat morning services are held at Westminster Church in Tiburon, and weekday and Friday night services will be held at three different locations: Click for schedule and locations of Kol Shofar Services. BEIT BINAH Beit Binah will be held at Kent Middle School in Kentfield. Click for schedule and directions to Kent Middle School. DIRECTIONS Directions to all locations can be found here. OUR KOL SHOFAR ON THE MOVE THEME SONG: Click here for our theme song tune and lyrics, recorded by Rabbi Chai Levy.