Congregation Kol Shofar
| Congregation Kol Shofar | |
|---|---|
Marin County, California | |
| Country | United States |
  Location in San Francisco Bay Area | |
| Geographic coordinates | 37°54′16″N 122°30′07″W / 37.90435°N 122.501893°W |
| Architecture | |
| Date established |
|
| Completed | 2010 |
| Website | |
| kolshofar | |
Congregation Kol Shofar is a
History
In the 1960s and 1970s, Kol Shofar was a nomadic congregation, meeting in various locations around Marin County. In 1984 it acquired its current location at 215 Blackfield Drive in Tiburon.[2] The Blackfield location was previously home to Reedland Woods Middle School from 1970 to 1976.[3]
Expansion
In 2006, Kol Shofar submitted plans to expand its synagogue space. The Tiburon Neighborhood Coalition opposed the construction, citing the traffic and noise impact due to the size of a new multi-purpose room and a proposed 27 additional events with up to 250 persons. That summer, the Tiburon Planning Commission rejected the expansion plans, claiming that Kol Shofar refused to engage in compromise discussions. As a result of the Planning Commission's rejection, the issue was brought to the attention of the town council who later that year approved a reduced synagogue expansion plan with restrictions on hours, parking, and number of events, as well as reducing the size of the social hall by 15 percent.
In 2008, a Marin Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the expansion, and the Coalition filed an appeal with the 1st District Court of Appeal.[4] The appeal was ultimately dropped later that same year, and Kol Shofar was able to proceed, agreeing not to seek repayment of court costs.[7]
Construction
Construction on the new space began in April 2009.[8] The congregation held services in neighboring Westminster Presbyterian Church from February 8, 2009 until August 27, 2010.[9] On August 27, 2010, the congregation held its first Shabbat services in its renovated sanctuary. The next day Kol Shofar held a reopening celebration. Members of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish community were in attendance. The project costed $17.5 million, adding a brand new 8,300-square-foot (770 m2) social hall, additional parking, and four class rooms, as well as a renovated sanctuary space.[4] Herman Coliver Locus Architecture of San Francisco designed the project.[4]
Clergy
The following individuals have served as rabbis for the congregration:
- Rabbi Daniel B. Kohn
- Rabbi Jacob Milgrom ( - 1975)
- Rabbi Aryeh Wineman (1975 – 1977)
- Rabbi David White (1977 – 1991)
- Rabbi Lavey Darby (1991 – 2010)
- Rabbi Chai Levy (2002 – 2018)
- Rabbi Susan Leider (2012 – 2022)
- Rabbi Paul Steinberg (since 2017)
Gallery
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Thefacadeof the Kol Shofar synagogue -
Kol Shofar's sanctuary facing the Ark andNer Tamid
References
- ^ Kol Shofar – Meet Our Staff
- ^ Palevsky, Stacey, With shofars blasting, Kol Shofar moves into temporary home, J Weekly, February 12, 2009
- ^ Fanning, Branwell, The Tiburon Peninsula, Arcadia Publishing, 2006, page 118
- ^ a b c d Jason, Will, Tiburon synagogue, neighbors look to future Archived 2010-08-30 at the Wayback Machine Marin Independent Journal, August 28, 2010
- ^ Fimrite, Peter (2006-10-25). "TIBURON / Opposing sides square off at hearing over synagogue / Expansion proposal pits religion against neighborhood issues". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Fimrite, Peter (2007-03-28). "TIBURON / Neighbors sue city for approving synagogue's planned expansion". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Staats, Jim, Tiburon synagogue neighbors drop appeal Archived 2012-04-04 at the Wayback Machine, Marin Independent Journal, October 11, 2008
- ^ Pazornik, Amanda Rejuvenated Kol Shofar has Everyone Happily Back under One Roof, J Weekly, August 19, 2010
- ^ Weekend events celebrate reopening, J Weekly, August 19, 2010