Temple Beth Shalom - Needham, MA

Needham, MA On September 25, Fort Point PM, Chapman Construction/Design, and BKA Architects broke ground on the $11.5 million Mikdash Building project for Temple Beth Shalom. The temple’s president Ed Zaval and Rabbi Todd Markley began the ceremony by thanking the community for their generosity and support, having so far raised over $9.5 million toward the project.

Renovations will add more than 25,000 s/f to the 30,000 s/f building. While the sanctuary portion of the building will remain intact, the central section will undergo extensive renovation in order to accommodate the growing community’s needs. A brand new 3 story Learning/Administrative Wing will be built, along with a brand new second social hall, and a new centralized entrance with a new reception area.

With a targeted completion of August 2016, the project will transform Temple Beth Shalom’s ability to serve the members of its congregation, and the community. Fort Point PM is partnering with Chapman Construction, BKA Architects, Kelly Engineering, and Hammer Walsh Landscape Design on the project.

“There are so many who have contributed to making it possible for us to be standing here to officially break ground on our new TBS Home today,” said Rabbi Todd Markley “We wanted to take an opportunity not only to celebrate this moment in time, but to say thank you to everyone who has enabled us to get this far, and is going to help us on our journey forward.”

Since 1998, the congregation of Temple Beth Shalom has grown from 500 to 800 households in Needham and throughout the Greater Boston area. The current temple, built for a congregation half its current size and worn by many years of use, has been overflowing with activity from its growing community programs, services, and classes. The halls of the temple are filled with excitement and activity every day of the week, with over 600 children and teens currently involved in Temple Beth Shalom’s nationally recognized learning programs.

“This building, following many years of loving use, was simply no longer supporting our life as a congregation,” explained Rabbi Jay Perlman as he addressed the crowd last Friday morning, “A change needed to be made. The choice to engage in such a significant project is not easy. Done meaningfully, in ways that reflect our values, it meant engaging our entire community in conversation, envisioning, and ultimately in action.”

“This Mikdash Groundbreaking moment is historic: both in the long life of this project, and in the radiant history of this congregation,” said Rabbi Perlman, “And just as construction continues to take place, bringing beautiful shape to the structure that will help us live most fully as a community, so too will the work of our campaign.”