As you know Chanukkah and Christmas are right around the door. Chanukkah means dedication, and it celebrates the rededication of the 2nd Temple after being retaken from Greek control in the year 164 BCE. In this issue of our newsletter we are highlighting not only the Festival of Chanukkah but its connection to the rededication and restoration of our own building. You will note the remarkable history of the building now housing Tikvat Israel Congregation. Because of its age, however, it needs constant repair. At this time we need to repair and repaint the ceiling of the sanctuary, replace the flooring in our fellowship hall, cover the beautiful stained glass windows with a protective see-through plastic and a variety of other repairs. The total costs for all of this is around $50,000. And as this year draws to a close, and most of us celebrate either one or both of the above holidays, we hope you will keep us in mind for any gifts.

Our first service was scheduled for Chanukah week, 1990. This was the beginning of the first Persian Gulf War, and oil prices had spiked. The first order of business was to attempt to start the oil heating system. One of our leaders ordered in 150 gallons of oil. The four tanks in the furnace room had a capacity in excess of 1000 gallons. But why order in so much oil if there's no assurance of starting the system? Regardless, the system wouldn't start, so our first service was heated by two propane burners that sounded like jet engines. Obviously, they couldn't be run during the service, so by the end it had gotten quite cold. Later in the week the same leader was examining the heating system and was able to start it. He then examined the oil tanks, and to his utter surprise, the gauges on the tanks indicated they were full. This made no sense. He opened the tank, dunked in a long stick, and sure enough, they were full to the brim. He quickly called me on the phone and said something very unusual had happened. I asked if he was sure he had checked the tanks' status the prior week, and he remarked he thought so. I then said maybe the oil company supplied the extra. He replied we only ordered 150 gallons. That's all we paid for, and now there's over 1000 gallons of oil in the tank. I responded, "Could this be another Chanukah miracle?" It was still Chanukah week.

The following Shabbat I shared this story as everyone was enjoying the warm sanctuary. I explained it in a way that left some room for error but acknowledged that the Lord quite likely reproduced the same miracle as the one 2200 years ago. After the service one of the members, who was a chemist and a skeptic, came forward and looked as white as a ghost. I asked, "What's wrong?" He replied, "I checked those tanks myself last week and they were bone dry. It's a miracle." So, that was it. The oil was sufficient for the whole winter. "God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think."

The Main Sanctuary seats approximately 500. At the front is the ark, which is the mainstay of all synagogues. The ark replicates the old ark of the Biblical period in which was contained the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Today, the ark contains the sacred writings of the Jewish people, largely the Torah Scrolls. These scrolls, inscribed in Hebrew by carefully trained Rabbis, consist of the first five books of the Bible, and are the central tenet of the Jewish faith. Above the ark is the eternal light, which represents the presence of God, hovering over the ark. During services, everyone faces the ark, always in the direction of Jerusalem, which in this case is east. On the stage, what looks like a large podium, is in reality a bimah, (the high place in Hebrew) where the Torah scroll is placed and read during the service. The pews and most of the stained glass date to the Baptist period. The large Stars of David windows were added by Beth Israel later. The Hebrew above the ark means, "Know Before Whom You Stand".

Moving out of the main sanctuary, there is the small sanctuary which is used for various functions. Next to the small sanctuary is the Judaica/bookstore which carries everything from Judaica items, both for wearing and household use, plus books on a variety of Jewish and Messianic Jewish subjects. Upstairs are largely classrooms for the children and Hebrew training and a library. Downstairs is a very central place for the congregation. Its known as the Oneg area. Oneg means delight of the Sabbath, which of course centers around food. The larger room is used for both Sabbath meals and holiday celebrations. In addition, we provide services to Russian Immigrants, such as a food bank, Russian library, social service needs, legal services, English and citizenship classes.