Rabbi Yaakov Meyer, with Aish Ahavas Yisroel, a Jewish synagogue in Greenwood Village, carries Torah scrolls from the old building into its new building. Five Torahs - including one that may be 500 years old - were moved into the ark in the new main sanctuary.Synagogue opens in time for Rosh Hashanah
By Julie Poppen
Monday, September 29, 2008
The people who worship at Aish Ahavas Yisroel will see what its rabbi calls "a miracle" when they gather this evening for the Jewish new year celebration, Rosh Hashanah.
A $5.8 million synagogue, complete with Jerusalem limestone adorning the lobby, has risen from what only eight months ago was a hole in the ground.
"It's nothing short of a miracle," said Rabbi Yaakov Meyer, who leads the Orthodox congregation. "I say that in all seriousness."
The rabbi's goal was to get the certificate of occupancy in time for the High Holy Days, which begin today and end at nightfall Oct. 9. Synagogue staff just received the paperwork Friday.
"Very few people believed it would be done," Meyer said. "The naysayers were proven wrong. This is beyond my dreams."
Rosh Hashanah is a time for renewal and "for re-creating oneself on the anniversary of the creation of mankind," Meyer said. That the congregation is moving into the new building fits with the theme of the holiday.
"In the new year, you make resolutions," said staff member Sarah Drexler, 27. "What a perfect time to open a new building. What a great way to start a new year."
The process, in both timing and frantic preparations, has been a lot like a birth, said volunteer and member Neil Olesky, 52.
Olesky, his wife Vicki, 48, and their five children have made getting the new synagogue ready the focal point of their already busy lives.
On Friday, the couple prepared for members to arrive that evening as the synagogue's five Torahs - including one that may be 500 years old - were moved into the still-under-construction ark in the main sanctuary.
The new synagogue has more than double the space of the old one, which had become increasingly crowded over the years. The synagogue was started by 11 families 13 years ago. In the beginning, about 20 people regularly showed up for Saturday Sabbath. Today, about 225 people are regulars.
The new sanctuary seats 300 and can be expanded on holidays to hold 540.
Aish Ahavas Yisroel focuses heavily on improving familial and marital relationships and, of course, the relationship between God and man.
For the last nine years, the congregation has worshiped in a former church on the property that will be torn down Thursday. In its place, a garden will be planted and additional parking spaces paved.
Meyer is excited but said he's keeping his heart focused on what's important: Honoring God and sharing Judaism and the study of the Torah.
"If it's just a beautiful building, it could become - God forbid - a mausoleum of the soul."
Meyer talked some more, then hoisted a shofar, a hollowed-out ram's horn blown during Rosh Hashanah, to his lips, and the trumpetlike tone filled every inch of the new building.
poppenj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5176
Sacred season
* Rosh Hashanah: A two-day celebration beginning at sundown today marking the start of the High Holy Days and the Jewish New Year 5765. According to traditional Judaism, the date tells the number of years since God made the world. The holiday is marked by foods such as apples dipped in honey, suggesting hope for a sweet new year.
* High Holy Days: Ten days that encompass the most sacred season on the Jewish calendar - in addition to Passover. The High Holy Days culminate in Yom Kippur.
* Yom Kippur: The day of atonement, considered the most solemn and holy day in Judaism. The holiday begins at sundown Oct. 8 and is marked by fasting and self-denial.
Aish Ahavas Yisroel
* Cost: $5.8 million
* Square footage: 19,400
* Highlights: Limestone walls imported from Jerusalem, video-game outfitted Jewish teen center, largest Kosher kitchen on metro Denver's southeast side, and a steel fire door to protect its five Torahs in case of sprinkler activation
* Architect: Barker, Rinker, Seacat
* Location: 9550 E. Belleview Ave., Greenwood Village
* For free High Holy Days tickets: Call 303-220-7200
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