TBI Case layout.indd - Temple B`nai Israel

History
F
or more than 60 years, Temple B’nai Israel has been dedicated to perpetuating
Judaism by living the commandments of our faith and meeting the spiritual
needs of our congregational family.
Temple B’nai Israel is one of the oldest congregations in Pinellas County, and we
have been blessed to see multiple generations of many of our families worship
together under our roof. Our history began after World War II when a surge of
Jewish families began moving into Pinellas County.
On September 15, 1949, the community that we now call Temple B’nai Israel
was forged together with just 48 charter members that included Jews from the
Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox movements. This small group developed and
founded the first Temple in a purchased facility at 20 South Betty Lane in Clearwater
where the congregation continued to prosper and grow as more Jewish families
moved into the area. In 1956, a decision was made to create both a Reform and a
Conservative congregation. Conservative members
formed a new Temple, now known as Congregation
Beth Shalom of Clearwater, and Temple B’nai Israel
became a primarily Reform congregation.
To this day, Temple B’nai Israel has remained one
of the largest congregations on the West Coast of
Florida. New families in the community as well as
existing families join together as an active part of
this wonderful extended family. In July 2008, TBI
welcomed its fourth rabbi in its sixty year history. Since
his arrival, Rabbi Daniel Treiser has been instrumental
in overseeing TBI’s rejuvenation process which has
included two separate trips to Israel.
C urrent
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aerial image of
T emple B’ nai I srael
Temple B’nai Israel
Dear Congregant:
Temple B’nai Israel is embarking on its first comprehensive campaign in over 40 years. The synagogue
leadership is committed to ensuring that our Reform congregation will continue to serve this area’s
Jewish community for future generations.
Over the past year, the Congregation has identified several key areas in need of immediate attention
for the first phase of this campaign. Some are particularly urgent, such as the strengthening of our
endowment fund and the retiring of our debt. Other areas include the revitalization of our Sanctuary and
Ark, the expansion and renovation of the entire entry and lobby area, the establishment of a new Chapel
that will serve smaller worship events, and the renovation of the Social Hall and its adjacent spaces.
The realization of this vision for the Temple will require a significant investment of resources. To this
end, we announce Preserving Our Future, a major fundraising campaign designed to secure a
minimum of $3,500,000 from members and friends for capital purposes, underwriting a strong future
for Temple B’nai Israel. Additionally, Preserving Our Future will strengthen the endowment fund and
begin to retire our long-term debt.
Each member of the Board of Directors has already pledged financial support to the Campaign.
Furthermore, several fellow congregants have come forward with generous lead gifts to help us begin
the Preserving Our Future Campaign with a boost. We are pleased to announce that these combined
pledges have helped us raise more than $2,000,000 towards our goal of $3,500,000.
We hope that each of you will participate, providing gifts that rise to the best of your giving
ability, and demonstrate your support of our congregational community.
Every member is encouraged to participate at a level that is both personally and financially meaningful
and reflects your recognition of the role that Temple B’nai Israel plays in your own life and in the life
of our community. Your participation plants a sapling that will provide food and shade for our future,
just as those who preceded us provided for our needs.
We offer you this opportunity to be there for Temple B’nai Israel. Please remember that everyone’s gift
is vital to Preserving our Future.
Very sincerely,
Volunteer Leadership
Evan Frayman
Denise Kirschbaum
Polly Kraus
Bruce Levine
Marcia Miller
Temple Leadership
Toni Rinde
Brian Rolfe
Andrew Salzman
Todd Siegel
Nina Warshofsky
Daniel N. Treiser, Rabbi
Barbara Bloom, Executive Director
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The Temple Today … And Tomorrow
Today, on our uniquely beautiful
8-acre campus ...
Tomorrow …
Our goal is to have Temple B’nai Israel be an
intergenerational gathering place taking on the
21st century mitzvot of Tikkun Olam, which
suggests humanity’s shared responsibility “to
heal, repair and transform the world,” while at
the same time combining social action and
spirituality within a meaningful community
setting for transmitting Jewish culture. With this
campaign, Temple B’nai Israel seeks to meet the
new challenges facing synagogue transformation.
Temple B’nai Israel is a Reform synagogue that
honors our traditions and embraces a full spectrum
of Jewish living. As such, we believe that we offer
something for every member of our community…
young or old, married or single, and all are welcome
to worship with us.
As in any active and energized Jewish community,
participation in our programs, events and worship
is encouraged. Our lay leaders and program
volunteers come from the more than 400 families
who are the foundation of our congregation.
“We’re taking the historical Jewish traditional
imperative and translating it into a renewed
vision to say we’re not just a synagogue but
a center for Jewish Life,” explains Denise
Kirschbaum, steering committee member
and religious practices chair. “This is the
campaign’s vision for the future: to strengthen
our community environment spiritually,
physically and fiscally in a way that inspires
and motivates the best in each of us; that
honors the founders and gives the best
we can to our children, our parents and
ourselves.”
Ours is a vital, warm, committed and caring
membership which creates a deep sense of
community in all that we do. The members of
Temple B’nai Israel take pride in the fact that our
programming and services remain vibrant and
relevant after 60+ years of serving the Jewish
community of Pinellas County.
Temple B’nai Israel, then and now, is a congregation
of people dedicated to the improvement of the
lives of others through the rituals and customs
of our beautiful shared Jewish heritage. During
the last 60 years, we have continued to grow and
provide for the needs of the Jewish community
of Pinellas County, and ours is one of the largest
congregations on the West Coast of Florida. New
residents in the community join with our existing
members to form an active, extended family.
Preserving Our Future
Overview
To further strengthen our programs, facilities and finances, Temple B’nai Israel is making a set of bold,
strategic investments in its physical plant and endowed resources. Preserving Our Future is the first
phase of our major fundraising campaign. This campaign will provide us with the requisite resources to
meet the diverse needs of our growing, multigenerational community—now and in the future.
The three critical objectives of Preserving Our Future include:
✡✡ To prepare for the future by strengthening our endowment fund;
✡✡ To secure our future by beginning to retire debt;
✡✡ To modernize, update and repair our synagogue and key worship spaces so that we are properly
equipped to serve our congregants…today and tomorrow. There are five central areas of the first
phase of this modernization:
♦♦ Revitalize the Sanctuary, the Ark (including the creation of an environmentally secure home for our
beloved Torah scrolls), sound, lighting, bimah, Yartzeit boards, seating, accessibility and sight lines;
♦♦ Create a new, spacious and inviting lobby for the Sanctuary as a modern and beautiful entry
into our worship and social events. The space will also be able to be used for multiple social
purposes such as B’nai Mitzvah and wedding receptions. This work will also allow us to renovate
and expand our administrative and religious school office spaces, and provide business visitors
with a direct and secure exterior entry point;
♦♦ Remove and replace the current entry portico, creating a beautiful, functional, and safe drop-off
and entry area;
♦♦ The creation of a new Chapel, providing a more intimate worship and meditation setting;
♦♦ The renovation of the Social Hall and adjacent rooms, as well as the upgrade and/or replacement
of the kitchen.
The renovated and new structure, conceptualized
by Behar + Peteranecz Architects of Tampa
Bay, will bring the existing Synagogue, originally
designed in the early 1970’s for 210 families, forty
years into the future to a place that will adequately
accommodate our needs and programs.
With the successful completion of Preserving Our Future, Temple B’nai Israel will establish a foundation
to continue to thrive as a vibrant synagogue—a central place in the lives of our members—a place for
celebration and support, a place that combines innovative approaches to Judaism with our Reform
tradition, a place of learning for us and our children, a place that inspires us to repair the world.
Today, we live in the future envisioned more than
60 years ago. Now, it is our job to ensure that just
as Temple B’nai Israel was there for us, we commit
to leaving our children and our grandchildren a
flourishing Jewish community where compassion
and spirituality will continue to bring the members
of our Temple community together for prayer,
learning and social interaction.
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A rchitects
rendering of the new portico entry in front of
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T emple B’ nai I srael
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Preserving Our Future
Preserving Our Future
Architect’s Sustainable Design Statement
Why the need, and why now?
Temple B’nai Israel is housed in a facility that has capably served multiple generations within
our community for almost 40 years. Our campus, which opened in 1972, was not designed to
accommodate the needs of today’s congregants. Some of the deficiencies of the existing Synagogue
include: renewing the dated exterior; creating a larger more appropriate lobby; renovation of the
Sanctuary space; renovation of the Social Hall adjacent to the Sanctuary; expansion of the business
offices to meet current demands; and the addition of a new Chapel to accommodate smaller gatherings.
Physical Plant Deficiencies
Space and Functionality Deficiencies
✡✡ Air conditioning is substandard, and heating is ✡✡ Seating, sight lines, accessibility, sound and
non-existent.
lighting in the Sanctuary are from an earlier
generation and are in need of updating.
✡✡ The windows around the Ark leak terribly in
HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY
Behar + Peteranecz, Inc. formed in early 2008 when Istvan Peteranecz and Jordan Behar joined
forces to expand on the success built by Behar Design Inc; which opened it’s doors in the Tampa Bay
area in early 2002.
The firm originally focused on custom residential design primarily located in coastal environments.
Through the addition of Istvan Peteranecz as a partner, a loyal client base, determination and hard
work, our portfolio of work has grown to include houses, medical, restaurants, hotels, office buildings,
residential living facilities, mixed-use buildings, town homes and condominiums.
every rainstorm, leading to poor environmental ✡✡ The lobby is far too small for the number of
people that attend High Holidays and many
conditions for the protection and preservation
B’nai Mitzvah as well as weddings. There is no
of our sacred Torah scrolls. A climate control
comfortable or attractive gathering space that
system is needed for our scrolls to be used for
can be used for receptions.
generations to come.
We strive with passion to design projects that are beautiful, practical and are inspiring. Our work is
derived through the use of elements such as color, texture, scale, form, proportion, light, context, detail
and history. These elements become our tools that, ultimately, when combined in a pragmatic and
clever way, become the building blocks of beauty that excite and invigorate the soul.
✡✡ Bathrooms for the congregants are outdated, ✡✡ We have no Chapel available for holding
The service and detail we provide to the client is as important to us as the timelessness of the building
and the durability of it’s form. It is our goal to bring the dreams and emotions of our clients into the
world through an efficient and cost effective process.
inaccessible to our disabled members, and
inadequate for the total size of our congregation.
smaller services or life cycle events, and so
they must take place in the Sanctuary, thus
limiting our programming options and taking
away some measure of intimacy for smaller
ceremonies.
✡✡ The kitchen is outdated by today’s standards
of modern operation and functionality.
✡✡ The memorial boards in the Sanctuary use
incandescent lights, rather than a light emitting ✡✡ The Social Hall, despite having the “nicest
dance floor in the region,” has been heavily
diode system. They utilize more electricity than
used and is very much in need of renovation.
needed and radiate a great deal of heat into an
already uncomfortable environment.
✡✡ The portico of the building is, at best, unattractive, tired and in poor condition.
✡✡ Driveways and parking areas are at the end
of their useable life. The entry and drop-off
portico does not conform to the needs of
many disabled and elderly members.
Debt and Endowment
Beyond these issues with our physical plant, we have a very real obligation to retire our outstanding
debt and reestablish a healthy endowment program to prepare for the future needs of our congregation
and, more importantly, allow us to ensure that we have the funds needed when key segments of the
physical plant require replacement or repair in the future.
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Each project requires fresh and unique design solutions to each problem. Our project team that design
and detail the building will also follow the project into construction to assist with Contractor bids and
to monitor the implementation of the design during construction. This continuity of the design team
better allows the original design intent to be realized. Each building varies in detail, style and expres}
sion depending on the context, the clients preferences and budget, yet they are all designed with a con}
sistent process and methodology which enables the highest level of service and design.
Behar + Peteranecz, Inc. firmly believes that good design improves the experience and enjoyment for
the end user. We strive to achieve a balance in our design that is both practical and creative in order to
mitigate the economic pressures and the desire for well designed, quality buildings that will stand the
test of time.
Jordan Behar
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Preserving Our Future
Your Gift
Temple B’nai Israel is implementing a multifaceted financing strategy designed to underwrite
our vision for the future.
To enable Temple B’nai Israel to preserve its cherished traditions and facilities, and to establish a firm
foundation upon which it can thrive in the coming years, we encourage all congregants and friends
to support this capital campaign.
Summary
✡✡ Gifts and pledges made to the Preserving
✡✡ A gift of real estate will be credited at the
The total result is a fundraising need of $3,500,000 for the facility’s renovation, endowment, and debt
retirement. To address this need, the Temple has launched Preserving Our Future, a comprehensive
fundraising campaign.
Our Future Campaign will be credited toward
the campaign goal.
appraised value of the gift at the time it is
made.
✡✡ Gifts can be pledged for payment in installments
Leadership gifts and grants totaling over $2,000,000 have been received to date during the
Campaign’s earliest phase. We are seeking to raise the remainder through major campaign gifts and
through proceeds from a general capital campaign appeal to the entire congregation.
✡✡ Naming
opportunities are offered to
recognize the generosity of donors of
$10,000 and more. The gift levels associated
with facility naming opportunities reflect the
honor of naming those facilities, and do not
imply gift restrictions.
over three years or on a pre-arranged pledge
payment schedule.
✡ ✡ Any gift can be made as a memorial or
honorary gift.
To continue providing for our multigenerational congregation, Temple B’nai Israel needs to
improve and expand its home so it can continue to grow and serve the needs of its members.
When completed, Preserving Our Future will dramatically modernize our facilities and enhance
the worship experience, enriching the lives of our members and guests, and enhancing the profile
of Temple B’nai Israel across our community. The successful completion of this campaign will
strengthen and position us to continue to attract and retain members thereby ensuring our viability
for generations to come.
Campaign Gift Table
An array of gift-naming opportunities for facility spaces is available to donors of $10,000 and more.
A detailed description of potential naming opportunities and the gift level associated with each
option is available. All donors will be recognized for their support.
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✡✡ Campaign gifts made to Preserving Our
✡ ✡ Donors restricting their gifts to specific
Future may be made as outright gifts of
cash or securities, as life income gifts, or
other forms of planned gifts. Anyone 65
years of age or older may receive credit for
an outright bequest provision. Under certain
circumstances, Campaign credit may also
be extended to include gifts in the form of
life insurance for which Temple B’nai Israel is
named as owner and/or beneficiary.
purposes should explain so in writing when
the gift is transmitted. Unless otherwise noted
in writing, all unrestricted gifts to Temple B’nai
Israel will be applied to Preserving Our Future.
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Interior Sanctuary View
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