This fall holiday season, The Shul — the Chabad Lubavitch-affiliated synagogue in the Audubon Court shopping center in Bayside — enjoyed services in a space that was remodeled and refurbished almost entirely by enthusiastic volunteer work from its members.
True, when businessman Gary Schutkin joined The Shul, he was not necessarily looking for a place where he could help rip out walls, paint and do other carpentry work.
He was looking for “more tradition” and a “more meaningful expression of Judaism,” he said. “What I was looking for, I found. I immediately felt at home.”
But when the project began, Schutkin felt he had to pitch in. “I’m a helping type of person, that’s something ingrained,” he said.
“I don’t have lots of money [to give], but I have time and I like giving it,” he said. “There was work that needed to be done, and I had time to do it.”
So did many others involved with the synagogue. According to The Shul’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Shmaya Shmotkin, “There were at least 30 people involved in all the renovations. There were some things that needed to be done by licensed people, like electrical work. Otherwise, everything was done by volunteers.”
And the volunteers had a lot of fun and felt a sense of accomplishment. “Starting something and seeing it come through to completion, the sense of community and everybody pitching in to build was heartwarming,” Schutkin said.
Patti and Jeff Langer were also among the participants. Jeff, a pharmacist, joked that he did “some painting, which was probably redone by other members” and “lots of supervising.”
But he had a great time because “I got to know a lot of members that I would not otherwise get the opportunity to meet.” And he was proud of the collective job. “You can’t tell it was done by a bunch of amateurs.”
‘All this talent’
Patti, for her part, helped rip the wallpaper, which she described as “vile,” out of the bathroom. She also sewed and embroidered the cover for the bima and replaced the fabric on the mechitza.
“If you’re going to give back to something, that’s my way of giving,” she said. “I happen to like to sew, so that’s what I do.”
Moreover, Patti was one of the about 25 women who participated in a “shower” for the synagogue kitchen, “just like a bridal shower,” said Liza Wiemer. The women registered at area stores, brought the gift-wrapped items to the event (held in August), which also included a demonstration of South American kosher cooking.
“In a small shul, every individual who can helps,” said Wiemer. “It makes a huge difference, and you make a huge impact.”
One of those who made an especially huge impact was Wiemer’s husband Jim, to the praise of the other volunteers. “He’s the visionary” of the project said Schutkin; and according to Jeff Langer, he was the one who “organized everything and made sure everyone was working so little time was wasted.”
In addition, Jim, an industrial designer, designed and built the new bima. “That one piece changed the space immediately,” he said. “Getting the response after it was put in the space was rewarding.”
The project was “a team effort,” he emphasized. “It was very rewarding to have people come together from all walks of life to create such a nice vision.”
The Shul actually began in the basement of Shmotkin’s Bayside home, and then rented the Bayside Community Center every week. All through that time it has grown steadily, Shmotkin said.
“We do have memberships, but that is not what this is all about,” he said. “We have many more involved than we have memberships. We have about 60 family memberships, but there are hundreds of people involved.”
About two years ago, it began renting two non-adjoining spaces, separated by a travel agency, at the Audubon Court shopping center. As the weekly and Shabbat minyans began attracting 50 to 60 people, the spaces became too small, Shmotkin said.
When the travel agency left, The Shul signed a lease for the larger space and moved out of one of its two smaller spaces. But before it moved into the new area, Shul members and the rabbi met to discuss what to do.
“We knew that to hire contractors would be a costly thing,” said Shmotkin. “It became apparent that we had all this talent” to do the renovating work. Moreover, other members donated equipment and supplies, he said.
On the Sunday before this past Shavuot (June 1), work began, continued “around the clock” through the week, and “by Shavuot [June 6], we were in already,” said Shmotkin.
And the work isn’t finished, added Shmotkin. Jim Wiemer is working on a lectern and other pieces “to complement the bima,” he said, and Shmotkin said he believes that The Shul’s continued growth will eventually lead it to build or purchase its own building.
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