Sacred by Design

If you remember, shortly after Rita I spoke to Larry Hoffman of Synagogue 2000 (now Synagogue 3000 actually) about the restoration of our sanctuary and social hall. I asked Larry if he could help me get in touch with Richard Vosko, a much sought after architect/sacred space design consultant and a member of the Synagogue 3000 faculty. As it happened, Richard was scheduled to speak at a sacred space design conference sponsored by the Indianapolis Center for Congregations. Synagogue 3000 arranged for me to attend this conference at their expense.

The conference was an incredibly rich experience, impossible to summarize with blog-like brevity. I do, however, want to report a few highlights.

Fortunately for me, Richard Vosko was under the mistaken impression that the conference was specifically focused on synagogue design, so one of his presentations was entitled Imagine This: A Virtual Tour of the Ideal Jewish Place of Worship. I am distributing copies of my notes to our design committee and can make them available to other members of the chevre on request.

Here are some of this key ideas:

* Religious buildings are metaphors of the community’s identity and message. They are not just containers for religious people and objects. This tells us that while the building does not make the community, the design of its sacred space matters a great deal.

* Architecture for worship begins outside the building. One should have the sense of being on a pilgrimage when approaching the space.

* There should be a “gateway” element, so that people feel they are entering a different world, where anything is possible--- loneliness becomes belonging, sickness becomes health, and death becomes eternal life.

*Vosko advocates returning to older conceptions of Jewish sacred space which place the prayer leader among the people and allow the congregation to see one another. He urges congregations to break out the stage/spectator model.
* Sacred space should have natural light. It brings both beauty and a sense of the presence of God.

* There should be a blend of the old and the new.

I brought back a stack of materials, including a monograph by Richard Vosko. I happy to share this material with any interested Beth Shalomite

Ron Wolfson was also a presenter at the conference. He wanted our chevre to know that Synagogue 3000 will do whatever it can to help us. The staff of the Indianapolis Center for Congregations also want to be of help and I will be in touch with them.

In the Good and Welfare department, I had dinner with Jon and Sandy Adland the night before the conference. Sandy Adland was formerly Sandy Chapman and grew up in Baton Rouge. She and her mother, Norma send their regards. Sandy has been following the doings at her home congregation through our website and this blog.

Many thanks to Ron, Larry, and Synagogue 3000 for making my trip possible