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Meet men and women from
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UJA FAMILY
MISSION
AUGUST 2-12, 1993

HATIKVAH SINGLES
MISSION
JUNE 27-JULY 8, 1993

• Explore your Jewish heritage

• View Israel's spectacular sights, old and new

Temple Beth Shalom in San Juan.

• Have a ball with your favorite people!

Family Mission
information meeting:

June 10, 7:30 p.m.

at the home of

Marcy and Michael
Feldman

Singles Mission
social get-togethers
for participants
starting in June

For application and information:
Leonard Milstone, 642-4260

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A Lively Congregaion
Alive In San Juan

RUTH ROVNER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

F

rom the outside, it's a
modest-looking build-
ing — a simple rec-
tangular structure
with an arched doorway and
small circular window with
the Star of David design.
But inside, the pristine
beauty of the sanctuary is
striking.
Light shines on the six
brass chandeliers and it lends
a glow to the stained glass
window. The high ceiling, the
white walls, the simplicity of
the architecture — all give
this room a special dignity
and beauty.
lb the members of the Tem-
ple Beth Shalom in San Juan,
Puerto Rico, it is even more
special because they created
it. Step by step, they
transformed what had been
the Ninth Inning Bar into a
Jewish house of worship.
"It was an enormous under-
taking for such a small group
of people," says Norma Topp,
president of the congregation.
"I'm still astounded that we
managed to do it."
The members of this small
but thriving congregation in
the Caribbean have managed
to do much more, too. They
maintain a full program of
adult education, conduct a
communal seder, have a large
exhibit during Jewish Book
Week, and have won special
commendation for their year-
ly project of collecting and
distributing food to the needy.
All this from a congregation
which numbers only 75 year-
round residents and 52
"snowbird" members who
come to San Juan during the
winter season but have per-
manent residences elsewhere.
Even though the congrega-
tion has no rabbi — instead,

the members take turns con-
ducting services themselves
— they've held Friday night
Shabbat services faithfully
through the years — even dur-
ing hurricanes.
When Hurricane Hugo
raged, "We brought our
flashlights and we had ser-
vices," says Ms. Topp. "We've
been without lights, without
electricity, but we've always
held Friday night services."
Given such determination,
nothing was going to stop this
congregation from transform-
ing a run-down bqar into a
house of worship once they
decided to do it.
Besides the sanctuary,
facilities include a gift shop,
administrative offices, cheer-
ful classrooms upstairs for
youngsters in the Sunday (
school program, and a
spacious social hall. One wall
in this hall is almost entirely
covered with blue and white
tiles, with people's names et-
ched on them.
It's called the Tile of
Friends Wall, and Ms. Topp
explains that it was one of the
ways the congregants raised
money for the renovation.
Members and friends of Beth
Shalom bought tiles at $18
each. And now a total of 940
tiles cover the wall.
That's impressive support
for such a small congregation.
Founded in 1967, it is one of
the only two Reform con-
gregations in the Caribbean
(the other is the historic
Hebrew Congregation of St.
Thomas).
It's also one of the two con-
gregations in San Juan; the
other and much larger con-
gregation is Conservative and
many of its members are
Spanish speaking. But Beth

