Photograph by George Sakkestad
Rabbi Melanie Aron of Congregation Shir Hadash reads from the Torah in the congregation's new sanctuary.
By Shari Kaplan
Just as in the Old Testament stories that tell of people finding homes and shelter in the Promised Land, the members and leaders of Los Gatos's Congregation Shir Hadash have come into their own with a spacious new sanctuary and other facilities.
The name Shir Hadash means "new song" in Hebrew, particularly appropriate now that congregants have a new house of worship in which to sing, pray and commune. The sanctuary saw its first Friday night and Saturday morning Sabbath services Jan. 10 and 11.
"The thing that impressed me that weekend was how many people came into the new sanctuary and cried. I think people were amazed at how lovely the building is and how it truly has a sense of being a 'sanctuary,'" says Rabbi Melanie Aron.
The wide, airy building sports a brick exterior and a beige and brown interior with warm wood paneling and plenty of windows. The windows, Aron explains, support the tenet of Judaism that when people pray, they should think not only of themselves but of the needs of others and the world around them.
Aron likened the wanderings of the Jewish people in Biblical times to the changing local venues at which her own congregants have worshipped during Sabbath services, holiday observances and life-cycle events before the new sanctuary came into being.
Because the congregation's administration building--formerly the property of the Los Gatos Union School District--became too small to hold services, congregants "borrowed" facilities at the neighboring Presbyterian Church of Los Gatos, the local YMCA, St. Mary's Church and other nearby places. Religious school classes were held at Shir Hadash and at the Jewish Community Center of Greater San Jose in Los Gatos.
Aron smiled as she recalled how a little girl, upon realizing the permanence of the new building, asked, "But will God know how to find the sanctuary?"
Groundbreaking for the sanctuary, social hall and adjacent ceremonial gardens began March 31, 1996, following several years of discussions, meetings and fundraising. Thanks to the work of capital campaign co-chairs Bob Weisman and Linda Rossen, both of Saratoga, and their 35-member committee, more than $2.7 million dollars was pledged.
Most fundraising was done by having committee members visit with Shir Hadash families to discuss the needs of the congregation and the financial abilities of the families. Many donors opted to pay pledges in an installment plan over the course of several years. Some gifts also came from interested individuals not in the congregation.
"We also did some celebrations along the way," Aron says of events that encouraged both fellowship and fundraising, such as a social function at the Fairmont Hotel, a wine and cheese party at a private home and an open house.
"You need to keep your spirits up and make it clear that it is actually going to happen," she says. Even advanced pregnancy didn't stop Aron. She says the last thing she did in her office before going into labor with her third child was chat with a donor. Because he lived in Gilroy, Aron did not want to drive that far with her pregnancy so far along, so the man came to Shir Hadash.
Aron herself came to the 17-year-old congregation of Reform (liberal) Judaism seven years ago because she was drawn and excited by the way she feels the local Jewish community is "coming of age."
"It's exciting to be part of a community that's growing and developing," she says. Previously, she was the rabbi for a Reform congregation in New York City. A graduate of Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, Aron said she chose this profession to combine Jewish study with service. Although women have been ordained as rabbis for some 25 years, Aron says, there were not as many female rabbis when she was ordained 15 years ago as there are today.
On a whole, she believes female rabbis are well-accepted--at least among more liberal Jews--and says that if anything, there may be a positive stereotype attached to women, labeling them as nurturing and sensitive to the needs of congregants. What Aron likes best about being a rabbi has nothing to do with gender but everything to do with community.
"I enjoy the community building. What touches me most is how you really end up part of the lives of people in your congregation. You really get to see the strength of the human spirit."
Congregation Shir Hadash will hold a three-day community celebration this weekend. Friday night services at 8 p.m. Jan. 24 carry an "Honoring the Past" theme and include dedicating and blessing the sanctuary and various items used in ceremony, as well as songs by the adult choir. A chocolate and fruit reception follows.
Jan. 25 services commence at 10:30 a.m. and focus on "Moving to the Future." The adult and junior choirs will sing, and the congregation's Torahs (holy books) will be carried in a procession from the administration building to their new home. A light lunch follows.
Activities on Jan. 26 focus on the idea that "This Is a Holy Place." The religious school will celebrate during an 11:30 a.m. program. Congregation Shir Hadash is located at 16555 Shannon Road.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 22, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.