SKY'S THE LIMIT page 10
REBUILDING page 10
Bradley Bleefeld, Emanu-El's in-
terim spiritual leader.
The same words can be heard
at Beth Shalom, which began its
$2.5-million campaign without
the aid of a consultant. Rabbi
David Nelson says the Conserv-
ative congregation sought Mr.
Judelman's expertise about four
months ago because raising that
much money is a tough task.
Not that fund-raising for ren-
ovations and expansions couldn't
come to fruition without the help
of a professional. But those in-
volved emphatically say that
without professional help, large
capital campaigns often sail on
rocky waters.
Both synagogues were built
around 40 years ago with a sim-
ilar architectural style. The stage
at Beth Shalom, which was
founded in 1956, has been ripped
out and the two adjacent social
halls gutted to make way for
modern elegance.
Now, dust and bare beams fill
Beth Shalom's social hall, with
yellow tape reading "Do Not
Cross" in big letters, reminiscent
of a police barricade, blocking the
doors.
At Temple Emanu-El, which
dates to 1952, the social hall
walls display dark wood panels
and a relic of a stage.
Mr. Judelman and Mr. Jacobs
note that the proposed renova-
tions will bring the temple into
the 1990s.
Beth Shalom's front facade is
blocked from view by a covered
carport and a few shrubs; the
new design will make the syna-
gogue more visible.
The shul's bathrooms will
eventually be barrier-free, as will
the bimah at Emanu-El.
For Beth Shalom, the decision
to renovate and expand was al-
most an ultimatum. As Rabbi
Nelson puts it, "The building fell
apart because it was used up.
That's the best fate of a syna-
gogue."
Groundbreaking took place in
late October, with construction
yet to start on a new 14,000-
square-foot school attached to the
shul's east side. In the past, Beth
Shalom youngsters have at-
tended religious school in the
rented classrooms of nearby pub-
lic schools, but rental costs have
skyrocketed.
The new building will have 14
classrooms, with room for a nurs-
ery school, kindergarten through
second grades and after-school
Hebrew instruction, according to
Shoshana Ben-Ozer, principal.
At Emanu-El, the decision to
renovate also came out of need.
Mr. Jacobs explains that the 40-
year-old building "needs a sig-
nificant amount of updating and
maintenance, and there are cer-
tain basic things that need to be
done, such as replacing the heat-
ing, ventilating and air condi-
tioning system" and the addition
of a chapel.
Membership numbers have
not changed much due to the pro-
posed renovations. But once they
are completed, Mr. Jacobs says
it can only help with member-
ship recruitment.
Renovations at Emanu-El are
to begin shortly after the reli-
gious school year ends, with com-
pletion of foyer, sanctuary and
social hall changes by Rosh
Hashanah.
So far, the shuls have raised
nearly the same amounts: $1.36
million at Beth Shalom and $1.4
million at Emanu-El. Both have
seen some members reveal fair-
weather feelings: a few have
jumped ship, saying they've al-
ready contributed to an earlier
building fund.
But for the most part, mem-
bers have come out with their
checkbooks. In a neighborhood
that offers one Conservative and
one Reform option, that says a
lot.
"The Jewish community has
made a stand, a religious stand,"
says Rabbi Nelson. "We are not
going to forsake our roots."
PRE•HOLIDAY SALE
STARTING DECEMBER 20TH
❑
tions, sets tipc- :apaign
infrastructure, and most
importantly, energizes
synagogue volunteers.
Consultants, he says,
are a "financial invest-
ment. Most nonprofit in-
stitutions are reluctant
to do it because they
don't see immediate
bang for their buck.
Those in business know
you need to spend mon-
ey to save money."
Professionals like Mr.
Judelman make their
skills available for a lit-
tie more than pocket
change. He advises that
no good consultant
works on commission
and the price for con-
sulting services should
not exceed 20 percent of
the target fund-raising
goal; ideally, it should hov-
er between 10 and 15 per
cent. For a $2 million
fund-raising effort, that would re-
quire a consultant's fee of at least
$200,000, with initial feasibility
studies alone costing from $10,000
to $18,000, he says.
In eight years of opemtion, IDS
has worked with 30 clients and
raised in excess of $50 million for
a variety of Jewish charitable
causes. CI
'E.
Barry Judelman: Bringing expertise to
Jewish causes. •
assigning staff members. "Ifs tax-
ing, but that sort of wines with the
territory," says Mr. Judelman,
adding that he tries to balance the
number of New York-based pro-
jects against the number of out-of-
town jobs.
A fund-raising consulta4t's
main job is to stay behind the
scene says Mr. Juclelman, He
scen
trains'volunteers to solieffilona-
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