Keeping the Faith: West Clarkstown Jewish Center Rebuilds

When the West Clarkstown Jewish Center was destroyed by fire last summer, it only took the congregation a couple of days to decide it wanted to rebuild.

Sure, the congregation had dwindled from a high of about 160 families to about 50, but for those who remained "the thoughts of not rebuilding never crossed our minds," said Herb Boxer, president of the center. "No one ever thought of leaving."

The synagogue, located at 195 W. Clarkstown Road, has been being rebuilt since a few weeks after the Aug. 10 fire. It was destroyed after heavy winds brought down trees and a power line across the roof of the center, igniting it. No one was injured, but most of the building was severely damaged.

"I ran right over there and just stood and cried," said Susan Alpert, who's been a congregant for 29 years. "To me, it was my home away from home.

"I would have hated if we had to have uprooted ourselves," Alpert said. "This way, we're still together."

The congregation hopes to have the building ready in time for an Aug. 29 rededication ceremony and then have its first service Sept. 8 for Rosh Hashanah, Boxer said.

"The building is pretty close to complete, but there are still some odds and ends," he said.

The synagogue dates to 1931, said Boxer, who has been a member for 30 years.

Like Boxer and Alpert, the majority of the congregation is comprised of senior citizens and empty-nesters who have developed into a close-knit family. That sense of family was a key reason why most wanted to rebuild, they said.

"A synagogue is similar to a first home," Boxer said. "There's a lot of camaraderie among the people. For better or for worse, everybody knows everybody and is interested in everybody else's welfare."

That sentiment has been extended from outside as well, as several area groups have helped out with office space and other items to help the congregants during their time of need. Most important of those was having a place for services. The nearby Ruben Gittelman Hebrew Day School, on New Hempstead Road, in New City, stepped up immediately to help after the fire.

The fire was on a Monday and the school reached out right away and allowed the congregants to worship at its site that Friday, Boxer said.

"We're very grateful; we couldn't have had services without Gittelman," Boxer said.

Jeff Weinberger, president of the school's board of trustees, said he read about the fire and had no second thoughts about contacting the West Clarkstown Jewish Center's congregation and offering them a temporary home.

"As part of a larger community, we needed to do what we could to help," he said. "From my end, it just all fit."

That's because, serendipitously, the school's multipurpose room already was set up to host services since it had just finished being the temporary home for the Monsey Jewish Center while it built its new synagogue, Weinberger said.

The scheduling also worked out for the school since it closes early on Fridays and is closed Saturdays and all Jewish holidays.

"When they needed the building (for services), we don't need that multipurpose room because we're not in session," Weinberger said.

As grateful as the congregants are, Alpert summed up the feeling of the families about wanting to return to their own synagogue.

"It's phenomenal of them to help us, but it's not home," said Alpert, who added she can't wait to see the new building once it's complete.

Boxer likened it to staying at a hotel – it's nice for a little while but eventually you miss your own home.

The cost of rebuilding the synagogue will cost between $500,000 and $1 million, Boxer said, most of which is covered by insurance. Still, the congregation does need money to help pay for the rest and is accepting donations. Anyone who wants to donate money for the rebuilding of the synagogue can send money to:

The West Clarkstown Jewish Center

P.O. Box 1536

Spring Valley, NY 10977

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