Two temples under one roof

By John Howell
Posted 8/30/16

By JOHN HOWELL One congregation is looking for a new home, and another has found one after a nearly 30-year search. Now, it appears, the two will share a temple, at least for the next year. That possibility came together at Sunday's auction at Temple Am

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Two temples under one roof

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One congregation is looking for a new home, and another has found one after a nearly 30-year search. Now, it appears, the two will share a temple, at least for the next year.

That possibility came together at Sunday’s auction at Temple Am David on Gardiner Street. The temple is in receivership, and Sunday’s auction comes following the decision to sell the building to the Rhode Island Hindu Temple Society. The sale, for about $400,000, is expected to be completed in September, but the intention is not to leave the Jewish community without a place to worship, said Mahesh Patel, president of the Hindu society.

“Bringing a community together just doesn’t happen,” he said, reflecting on what Jews went through to build the temple and what the Hindu society has gone through to arrive at the point where they will acquire the building, the first Hindu temple in the state. “That’s a lot of attachment passed down from family to family.”

Patel anticipates his board will approve use of the building by the congregation of Temple Am David until its members find a place. It’s not like they would have been left out in the cold, however.

Temple Am David president Beth Veltri said Sunday that a number of churches and other organizations offered use of their facilities. Among those making an offer was Mayor Scott Avedisian, who suggested they could use Trinity Church in Pawtuxet.

“We’re very happy. We’ll do our best to move forward,” Veltri said of the development enabling Am David members to stay where they are for the immediate future.

How Temple Am David reached the point where, in order to pay its creditors, it was forced into receivership involves a declining membership and eventually a split in the congregation that left a depleted membership with insufficient resources. Thirty and 40 years ago, the temple was thriving, with so many turning out to celebrate holy days that the wall between the temple and the all-purpose room had to be opened.

Sheryl Barlow remembers her marriage in 1981 and how at the time the sanctuary was a cinderblock garage. The temple was vibrant and growing. It was in the 1980s that the temple was formed with the merger of Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David. About 16 years ago, the temple retained Cantor Richard Perlman, who later went on to become rabbi. Perlman was so well liked that he was given a lifetime contract by the temple board. However, as membership shrank, the temple found it difficult to meet the terms of the agreement without borrowing and using the real estate as collateral.

More than a year ago, Perlman left, forming the West Bay Jewish Community Center. About 80 Temple Am David members joined him, further hindering the viability of the temple. On Nov. 25, 2015, the property was placed in receivership, with Theodore Orson appointed receiver by Rhode Island Superior Court.

Orson oversaw Sunday’s auction, with his attention focused on the holy items including Torahs, vestments, books and urns. As a Jew, Orson said selling off the items of a Jewish community made it one of the most emotional experiences he has had as a receiver. Special attention was given to the memorial plaques that once filled panel after panel in the sanctuary. The plaques are in memory of deceased members and are being held by Orson. They will be given to family members as they come forward.

The Torahs, each containing the first four books of the Bible from Genesis to the point where Moses led the Israelites from the bondage of the pharaoh to the promised land, are written by hand on parchment. Orson estimated it took a scribe more than a year to transcribe each Torah. The value of a Torah, he explained, is reflective of its condition, age, and the scribe who transcribed it. Of the eight Torahs at Temple Am David, appraised values ranged upwards of $12,000. Two of the Torahs were bought by the current congregation. Veltri said she slept in the temple Saturday night to ensure Temple Am David would be first in line when the auction started Sunday.

As it turned out, thanks to the generosity of a member of the congregation, all the items identified by members of Temple Am David were acquired. In addition to the Torahs, that included prayer books, Torah covers, tallits or prayer shawls, chairs that were on the bimah or altar, artwork, flags, podiums and one of the memorial boards.

“We will continue on as this group,” Veltri said. She could not say whether a temple is in the group’s future.

Orson doubted that the sale of the building and proceeds of the auction would match the $600,000 to $700,000 still owed by the temple. He said the first-place creditor is Washington Trust at $400,000, followed by Perlman at about $137,000.

The Hindu society was anxious to secure chairs, tables and other furnishings at the auction.

Patel sees the temple as an educational and cultural center in addition to being a place to pray to the deities of Hinduism. He said the temple would house sculptures of the gods in time, but the focus for now is aimed at drawing together the Rhode Island Hindu community, which he said numbers about 2,000, and transforming the interior of the building.

He said the society has talked about a temple for at least three decades and considered various locations. Now that they finally have a place, he said the society is calling on the Hindu community to step forward and help financially and with whatever means they can.

Patel said the society looks forward to being an active member of the community and has plans to operate a soup kitchen or food pantry for the needy. It would also run a religious and language school for its congregation. The society plans to celebrate Diwali, a festival of lights and prayers where good triumphs over evil, in early November. Also to come is the selection of a priest.

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