The Renewal Project - January 2010

At our last meeting, some hard decisions regarding the future of the shul in the Dee Street building had to be made. As a general policy, the aim is to try and hold onto our shul building if at all possible. As anyone dealing with old buildings will know, however, the moment one problem has been resolved, another pops up...and another.... and another!

The good news is that work has already started on repairing our hidden leak in the first-floor bathroom, which unfortunately went undetected for quite some time. The end result was that quite a lot of floorboard had rotted over the years, and required to be replaced; the leak had also damaged some plasterwork in the ceiling below, and that will be tackled next. We now have nice new floorboards and the bath will be replaced shortly.

The other major project we have to start is the electrical work for the entire building. This requires earthing, the fitting of modern RCB boards, some rewiring and new meters. This work is absolutely essential for the health, safety and comfort of both our congregation and tenants, so we really don't have much of a choice!

As the electrical work will be a very large and expensive undertaking, it will leave very little remaining our Renewal Fund. Sadly, the less essential - but much more interesting - work, such as recarpetting the stairs and interior decoration, will have to wait until another time. Other jobs further down the "to do" list include upgrading the basement flat, repairing the windows in the attic flat, fixing up the back hall, and finally doing something about the Victorian toilet block on the ground floor!

The short version of the story is that we still need to raise something in the region of £50,000 to do everything that we need to do. Some of this money, we hope to raise through appeals to heritage societies and other bodies, but the bulk of it will have to come from us - members, friends and benefactors.

We already have several ideas underway to help raise the necessary cash. It will require a lot of effort to put these strategies into place. We are, however, a viable and growing Congregation, and we are not a people who give up easily, just because the going gets a bit tough!

And of course, to those who have already given, of their time, effort and cash, we sincerely thank you.

Our shul is, for the small community here in the North East, the cornerstone of our spiritual existence and Jewish life. We love our shul and are working hard to ensure that it remains viable; indeed, that it continues to thrive and grow. This task is, of course, all the harder given the current economic climate.

But please be assured that every single penny that comes into our Fund will be carefully budgeted, and spent where it is needed the most. Our shul was founded right at the end of the war, in 1945, when times were hard and people had next to nothing; we owe it not only to our founders, but to the next generation, to take up the challenge of keeping our shul alive. If they could do it, so can we!

The Founders of our Shul at the Consecration in 1945

With warmest wishes and thanks to all our benefactors,
Aberdeen Hebrew Congregation

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Last Updated 20 January 2010 - 5 Sh'vat 5770