Page 6-THE NEWS-March. 1987
This That
Noti'Jewish Couple To Restore Synagogue
Alan Ravitz, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Les Ravitz, is co-captain
of the 1986-87 Johns Hopkins University varsity swim team.
Ravitz, 21, is a senior who specializes in the butterfly stroke.
The masters division of Mecklenburg Aquatic Club (MAC)
participated in the Sun Belt Regional swim meet Feb. 1 in Rock
Hill against teams from Atlanta, Bristol, Tenn., Charleston,
S.C., Winston-Salem/Greensboro/High Point and Raleigh. In the
35-39 Men, Rick Bober came in first in 100 freestyle, 100
backstroke, 500 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 200 backstroke; se
cond in 100 breaststroke. He also participated in the 25-over
Men’s 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay, both of
which came in first. Bill Appelbaum, who swam in the 50-54 Men
category, came in first in 100 freestyle and in 500 freestyle.
Seth Rosenberger, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Rosenberger, an 8th
grade student at McClintock Junior High, is a budding artist. A piece
of his artwork was selected for the city-wide scholastic art show at
The Charlotte Observer Gallery.
If you have any special news for this column, please send it to
the attention of The Editor, The Charlotte Jewish News, P.O. Box
13369, Charlotte, NC 28211.
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history is being made here as
a non-Jewish couple, Mr. and
Mrs. Bill Lum, have purchas
ed the state’s oldest Jewish
synagogue and plan to restore
it.
Temple Gemiluth Chassed,
erected in 1891 in the Byzan
tine style that at that time for
some reason was considered
Jewish architecture, has not
heard the niggun of a Jewish
song for the drone of Jewish
prayer for 10 years, and in
that time has deteriorated to
a deplorable condition.
Walking through the
synagogue, Lum pointed to
holes in the floor where ter
mites and water damage had
eaten the wood away. The
w£dls are cracked in places and
the roof leaks.
On the right as one enters
the building is the rabbi’s
study, which is without a floor
because of water damage.
The floor on one side of the
auditorium had to be jacked
up recently because the beams
beneath it had rotted.
“The more work we do, the
more we find that needs to be
fixed,” Mrs. Lum said.
But it’s worth the effort, the
Lums said, even though they
don’t know what they will do
with it when it is restored.
“Heaven knows what we’re
going to do with a syna
gogue,” Mrs. Lum said. “We
just bought it for the sake of
preservation,” her husband
added.
Lum said after the struc
tural restoration is completed
he will consult with experts on
how to restore the synagogue
to its original design and
colors.
“We want it to be as authen
tic as we can get it.” he said.
The most distinctive part of
the synagogue is its onion
shaped dome, a feature charac
teristic of Byzantine architec
ture, which flourished in Ger
many and the Balkans during
the Ottoman Empire and is
found in medieval Russian
structures.
Lum said the dome will be
covered in gold leaf and the
deteriorated 42-inch spire on
top of it will be replaced with
a copper one. The stained-
glass windows, mciny of them
broken or replaced with clear
glass, will be restored to their
original colors.
Lum said he was told the
paint used inside and out
should match the entrance’s
colored tiles, which are light
blue, medium blue and terra
cotta.
Lum said the original
chandeliers will be reassembl
ed and placed back in the
auditorium along with the 25
pews.
About the only undamaged
part of the building is the ark,
which once held the Torah. It
is now at the Jacobs Camp in
Utica, along with the silver
breastplate, crown and
scepter.
The Lums, who also
restored and operate a bed-
and-breakfast inn here, said
people have suggested the
synagogue be opened for tours
or be used for weddings or as
a meeting hdl for various
functions.
But whatever its eventual
use, the synagogue carries a
divine purpose for Lum.
“I’m Methodist, my wife is
Catholic and now we own a
Jewish synagogue,” Lum said.
“One way or another I’m
bound to get to where I want
to go.”
Karl Weil, one of the few re
maining members explained
the sale.
“We were just about to have
it torn down because we didn’t
want to endanger anyone, ”
Weil said.
Weil said the money from
the synagogue purchase will
be used for the upkeep of the
Jewish cemetery across town,
which also needed work.
“We are so grateful to the
Lums,” Weil said. “There was
just no way we could keep it
up and take care of the
cemetery, too.”
— Jewish Post & Opinion
May 9
May 9
May 9
May 9
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