Travel south on Easton Parkway on the way to Trappe and Cambridge, and you see a mound of dirt, just sitting there, within a protective fence. There’s no sign of construction activity, though there are actual signs portending upcoming activity.
The mound of dirt is settling, as often happens on a construction site. Building activity should begin in 2017.
Of course, I’m talking about the upcoming new home of Temple B’nai Israel, now located at 101 West Earle Street, behind the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center, known locally as Memorial Hospital. The new synagogue no longer will be hidden in the shadow of a regional hospital. It will stand on its own, easily visible to passers-by and accessible to the members of the congregation.
Just a side note: while appreciating the need for growth and better quarters, I find that communities like Easton suffer a loss when venerable institutions like the temple and hospital (expected to relocate near the airport in 2022) vacate town centers. The hustle and bustle of people either worshiping or seeking medical care, in these cases, disappear. Growth is good. It has a downside in sapping a community of a certain energy, if not economic and cultural development.
Back to Temple B’nai Israel, which was founded in 1951, and now has more than 200 members living in Talbot, Dorchester, Caroline and Queen’s Anne counties. This growth is well worth celebrating, as it will in an addendum to the temple’s name, that being the Satell Center for Jewish Life on the Eastern Shore.
It’s interesting to note that the plans for the existing temple were those for the Methodist church in Oxford. Interfaith collaboration is nothing new.
Though I’ve only met him once, I’ve learned that Rabbi Peter E. Hyman, who leads the temple, is a dynamic religious and community leader. He is the first full-time rabbi at Temple B’nai Israel. The growth in the congregation has happened primarily in the eight years he has led the temple.
Strong, credible leaders, backed by boards of directors/trustees, can move mountains, as in the case of Rabbi Hyman and his congregation.
Once the mound of dirt settles, construction begins and the building is completed, the new temple will have sufficient space for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and adequate classrooms, parking and social space for receptions and celebrations.
I’ve talked with two members of the congregation. Both are excited about the new temple. One is young with children. The other couple is older. You can sense their pride in a growing congregation and their fondness for Rabbi Hyman.
You get the feeling that my friends not only are excited about a brand-new building–but what it represents: that the Jewish community in the Mid-Shore is alive and vibrant.
Temple members need not be satisfied with a location about which many in the community know nothing. The Jewish faith and its traditions will be on full display in wide open space on Route 322, the Easton Parkway.
On its website–the source of so much knowledge in today’s world—the following description appears:
“Temple B’nai Israel is the center of a warm, inclusive and progressive Jewish community. Located on the Maryland Mid-Eastern shore, our membership reflects and welcomes into the Temple family the rich diversity in contemporary America. Temple B’nai Israel celebrates the beauty of Jewish holidays, rituals, culture and programming as a united community.”
Members of the congregation eagerly await a new, more spacious home. The founding families and their descendants must feel proud.
Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia.
Editor Note: We originally published this column with an incorrect schematic of the new Temple B’nai Israel building. We regret the error.
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