Two years ago Tikvat Israel sold land behind and above our synagogue building to The Oxbridge Group, a commercial and residential development company. The company will shortly begin construction of 30 townhouses on this property, to be known as Rock Creek Woods. Preliminary development work includes removal of trees, installation of retaining and privacy walls along the hill behind our classrooms, and county-mandated enhancements along Baltimore Road that will benefit us all, such as installation of a sidewalk on our side of the road and improvement in sightlines for those exiting the synagogue parking lot.
In early July a group of office and school directors and synagogue leaders met with representatives from Oxbridge and Pleasants Construction, the general contractor, to discuss the project and what we can expect over the next several months as work proceeds, with an anticipated completion in early 2011.
I can assure you that Oxbridge, Pleasants, and their subcontractors will work closely with Tikvat Israel and the Early Childhood Center, Rimonim Center for Learning, and Hebrew Day Institute to keep disruptions to a minimum. Furthermore, we have guarantees that no work will be done on Shabbat or on any Jewish holiday.
We will have periodic updates on the project in synagogue and school communications. We will also hold a combined congregational and ECC, RCL, and HDI community meeting with a representative from Oxbridge on Monday, August 3, at 7:30 pm in our sanctuary (minyan that evening will begin at 7:00 pm). At that meeting we will learn more about the development and what we can expect during the coming months. In early September, we will hold another meeting to discuss opportunities for members of our congregation to purchase homes in the development.
But, for now, let’s talk about the trees. As of this writing trees have been removed along the front of our parking lot and down Baltimore Road, and more trees around the property will be cut down. People have expressed, through the listserve and to me personally, their sadness over the loss of the trees.
I will tell you now that I share your sadness. I would go as far as to term it grief. It hurts. I am a nature lover, and you may recall a Bulletin column I wrote a few months back (posted to the blog here) extolling the spiritual uplift that walking through nearby Rock Creek Regional Park gives me, and many others. I share your grief, and I will mourn the loss of some of our natural environment.
But Judaism places time limits on grief and mourning. And in this case, I think that the loss of some of our trees also gives us an opportunity, motivating us to redouble our efforts to come together as a community and beautify our synagogue, both inside and out. I encourage everyone who has spoken to me about the need to fix this, or paint that, or plant here, or move this to over there, or get rid of all of these, to come together and start working as a team of volunteers for the improvement of our building and landscape.
Tikvat Israel’s Summer 2009 Mitzvah Day, on August 9, will be a strong start along this path. I hope that you will join your fellow Tikvat Israel volunteers as we beautify the outside of our synagogue and get ready for the school year and the High Holidays. The event will run from 7:30 am to 1 pm. Please click here for more details.
Yes, the trees were so much a part of our environment here, but we can, and will, plant new trees, and sow new beginnings for our synagogue. It will take creativity, time, money, and work, and it will require more than a handful of volunteers. But I am confident that our congregation has what it takes to make it happen.
I urge you to participate in any way that you can.
- Sam Freedenberg, President
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