New Progressive shul ready to meet the new year

OWN CORRESPONDENT

After nearly 12 months of construction, the shul is the third built on the property over a period of 45 years and reflects the current needs of the congregation. The modern design incorporates elements of the two previous synagogues that stood on the property. The new floor-to-ceiling windows, which constitute nearly 50 per cent of the outside walls of the shul,  are to give worshippers a feeling of being part of the surrounding environment.

Once completed, the congregation’s new campus will encompass a shul, nursery school, the Mitzvah School, the Middleton function hall, and offices of the congregation and the Progressive Movement of South Africa.

Rabbi Schell said: “From the time we entered into a covenant with G-d, there was always the vision of a sanctuary, a mishkan, in which our relationship with G-d and our fellow humans can grow.

“The Greek word, synagogue, meaning, gathering or assembly, reflects that which we have built. Our synagogue echoes that covenant-– to create a gathering place for Jews, the community, and G-d.”

 Rabbi Schell’s wish for the new shul is that “this shul becomes a shelter for all who seek it, a place of worship of G-d and a place to encounter one another”.