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Oseh ShalomView a short slideshow on Oseh Shalom (pdf). Our synagogue building has received numerous awards for its innovative and distinctive design. The uniqueness of our building reflects the specialness of our congregation. Oseh Shalom's first synagogue building was opened in 1973 in South Laurel. In 1983, the Board of Trustees recognized that the old building was too small for a growing congregation, and voted to begin the search for land to build a new synagogue. The process of land acquisition and building planning took eight years, culminating in the completion of our current synagogue building in the summer of 1991. This 16,000 square foot building is about four times the size of our first synagogue. The Design ProcessIn 1983, we hired architect Travis Price to guide the building and planning process. Price, who is not Jewish, had never built a synagogue before. But the Building Committee felt that he had the skill, the personality, and the creativity to lead this project. Before any drawings were made, Price studied for two years with our Rabbi, Gary Fink, and with the congregation. In addition, he thoroughly researched the history of synagogue architecture. Historically, there is no one prescription for what a synagogue must look like. Throughout the ages, synagogues have generally conformed to the prevailing cultural norms of architecture. Going back in history, we find synagogues that look Phoenician, Greek, Byzantine, Gothic, Moorish, Medieval European, etc. There were many precedents, but not one in particular. Although Price created the unique design of Oseh Shalom, many people participated in its development. The Congregation held open meetings in which dozens of congregants spoke about their vision for the new building, and spirited discussions were held about the form and function of the new synagogue. Three goals emerged from those discussions. First, we wanted the synagogue to serve as a dramatic signpost to the community. Overlooking the corner of Olive Branch Way and Van Dusen Rd., we wanted our building to express the pride we feel in our heritage. Second, we wanted a synagogue that would teach about who we are as Jews. Therefore, we decided to enrich the building design with symbolism. Almost every aspect of our building is laden with symbolic meaning. Third, we wanted the design of our synagogue to provoke the imagination by evoking images of ages past and of a future filled with "shalom", with peace. "Oseh Shalom" means "One who makes peace." We encourage you to look at our synagogue building as you might look at a work of art. Although certain kinds of symbolism were intended in its construction, the design may evoke additional images or feelings that speak to you. The Building StyleThe building design combines "high-tech" materials and contemporary design with traditional architectural themes. It was built in a style of architecture known as "post-modern." This style, which combines different architectural traditions, accurately reflects the eclectic nature of our Congregation. We are a regional synagogue, drawing congregants from Ellicott City to College Park to Silver Spring. Ultimately, though, our Jewish roots are in the Middle East-in the Holy Land-and the synagogue design reflects that origin. The building incorporates passive solar lighting and is superinsulated. Natural light is introduced into virtually every room through the courtyards, doors, windows and skylights. View from the RoadThe synagogue building overlooks the corner of Van Dusen Rd. and Olive Branch Way. The side of the building that faces the road presents symbols on a bold scale that is meant to be viewed from passing cars. From this view, the features of the building are big and rather simple. The translucent spherical dome, resting atop the sanctuary at the heart of the synagogue, represents a mystical (Kabbalistic) view of God's place in the universe. At night, the dome shines outward as a beacon of light for all who pass by. Kabbalah, medieval Jewish mysticism, views God as an infinite circle radiating outward in a series of spherical emanations. According to Jewish mystics, God is the spiritual center of the cosmos, from which the divine light or life-force emanates. The low, curved architectural walls facing the road radiate outward as an expression of this mystical image of God's universe. Winged sky blue parapets accent the top of the striped masonry wings of the building. These slanted parapets serve as an architectural expression of God's nurturing Presence. In Rabbinic tradition two thousand years ago, God's Presence is poetically described as "wings of the Shechina." "Shechina" is the Hebrew expression for "God's Indwelling Presence". The Shechina is seen in our tradition as an expression of God's feminine qualities -- a gentle Presence that embraces her creation, sheltering us in the shadow of her wings. The Midrash (Rabbinic legend) suggests "... God yearned to dwell with the creatures below, but did not do so until the Sanctuary was erected; then God's Shechina rest upon it.."(1) The dome and winged parapets, therefore, express some of the diverse ways that Jews have perceived God's Presence throughout history. The sky blue color of the parapets resting on the earth tones of the masonry below signify that the synagogue stands at the intersection of heaven and earth, a place of divine inspiration and human aspiration. Some people have noticed that the white dome centered on top of the winged parapets creates a sculptural impression of an eagle. The eagle, known for its strength, grace and fierce protection of its young, is used in the Bible as an expression of God's love for the people of Israel. In the Book of Exodus, God declares, "...I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you [from slavery to freedom]."(2) Tikkun Olan--Perfecting the WorldThe masonry pattern on the curved wall at the apex of the building appears incomplete. The color of the masonry reflects the golden and reddish tones of Jerusalem stone. At one level, this suggests the remains of the ancient wall of the Temple Court in Jerusalem known as the Western Wall. The symbolism of the ancient Temple is a powerful metaphor for what a synagogue strives to become in the religious life of the Jewish community. That is, a center of family activity, learning, and community support. On another level, our tradition suggests that the world was created incomplete and, as Jews, we are called upon to participate in the act of creation in an effort to complete the creative process and bring it to perfection. Thus, the uncompleted wall reminds us of our responsibility to live according to the highest ethical principles (mitzvot), thereby bringing wholeness to God's creation. Traditional Jew in PrayerFor some of us, the appearance of the dome above the sanctuary suggests the kipah (head covering) which is worn as a sign of respect by a Jew. The angled parapets which rise above the masonry walls and flow away from either side of the sanctuary are symbolic of the tallit that flows down the shoulders of a Jew in prayer. The stripe of deep blue tile that accents the parapets is reminiscent of the blue thread that the Book of Numbers commands be included in the fringes of the tallit: "Make fringes on the corners of [your] garments throughout [your] generations, putting upon the thread of each corner a thread of blue."(3) The masonry stripes that wrap the building represent leather straps of tefillin which a traditional Jew wraps around the arm during certain prayer services. The masonry pattern at the ends of the social hall and school wings represents the tying off of those leather straps as Jews fulfill the obligation to "bind them as a sign upon your hand."(4) Thus, through the images of kipah, tallit and tefillin, the building becomes a grand abstract sculpture of a traditional Jew in prayer. Jerusalem Village EntryLike the ancient Jerusalem Temple, entering the building becomes a processional from the secular to the holy. This transition begins when one first drives onto Olive Branch Way. The building itself provides the first buffer between the secular world and the campus-like grounds on the entry side of the building. The gentle uphill location of the synagogue as you enter the parking lot provides a sense of moving upward, away from the ordinary, toward a more elevated destination. The open arms of the synagogue wings invite us into more than a building; the worshiper enters a complete religious community. The design of the building, viewed from the parking lot, is scaled to an individual walking, not to cars driving. The variation of surfaces, heights, and shapes is designed to give us the sense of approaching a small village. The parking was set back away from the building purposely. We get out of our cars and walk a short way to enter. This was done in order to create a feeling of pilgrimage, of walking up to a sacred place. The dome above the sanctuary gives a Jerusalem-like quality to the village image that we see. A piece of step-like corbeling rests just below the dome. The corbeled, or stepped, entryway was an important feature of the ancient Jerusalem Temple. In order to connect our synagogue with the unbroken chain of Jewish history and tradition, we incorporated many features that were part of the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem built by King Solomon three thousand years ago. The low masonry wall defining the courtyard provides the first clear sense that one has moved away from cars and everyday tumult, into a more sacred setting. The courtyard is a place for gathering, relaxing, and the curved courtyard wall also serves as a long bench for sitting. The trellis structure through which we approach the entrance is transformed once a year into a sukkah during the festival of Sukkot. Sukkot is also called the Festival of Tabernacles or Booths. At that time, it is topped with branches and decorated with symbols of the harvest. In the book of Leviticus, we find the commandment for Jews to live in booths (sukkot) seven days. In Leviticus, the holiday takes on an historical theme: "You shall live in booths (sukkot) seven days . . . in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt."(5) Later in Jewish history, the Rabbis perceived the sukkah as a symbol of tranquility and shelter. We pray in our evening service that God spreads over us the shelter (or sukkah) of peace. The two-story curved, translucent wall sections on either side of the entry remind us of the two pillars that flanked the entrance to Solomon's Temple. The Book of Kings describes that Solomon "set up . . . one column on the right and named it Yachin, and he set up the other column on the left and named it Boaz."(6) At nighttime, the walls glow outward, becoming radiant pillars of light. This pillar theme is repeated three times inside the building. On either side of the entrance are large, flat, blue slanted walls. These angled walls draw the worshiper toward the entrance. Their tilted appearance calls to mind a Talmudic legend which describes a dispute between two famous rabbis. The theme of the story is that compromise, compassion and human mediation is essential to interpreting God's will. The narrative concludes that " . . . to honor Rabbi Joshua, the walls [of the House of Study] did not fall down, but to honor Rabbi Eliezer, they did not become quite straight again."(7) On either side of the entrance, the slanted walls will be engraved with Hebrew letters which represent the Ten Commandments. Above the doors, the entrance will be guarded by sculptures of Lions of Judah, representing the strength and endurance of the Jewish people, and recalling the patriarch Jacob's blessing that "Judah is a lion's whelp . . . " (8) The process of transition continues as one enters the building through the main glass doors, whose etching reflects the reverse image of the sanctuary doors. Interior ProcessionThe feeling of a procession continues as one enters the building. The translucent vaulted ceiling above the entry hall reminds us of the arched alleyways that wind through Jerusalem's Old City. The lobby is flanked by two masonry pillars, which echo the image of two pillars that stand on either side of the entrance. The use of this striped masonry establishes an link with the exterior of the synagogue. Like the stonecutters of old, the building's head mason cut each masonry block by hand to create these lobby pillars. The lobby space is differentiated from the entry hallway by its higher ceiling and garden courtyards. The glassed-in courtyards are open to the sky, bringing illumination to the interior as if from two triangular pillars of sunlight. A tree will be planted in each courtyard, and it will be surrounded with a groundcover of plants and low shrubs. The tree will eventually grow taller than the building, and from the outside will appear to be growing right out of the synagogue. The Torah, or Jewish Scripture, is called a tree of life. The large sanctuary doors establish a larger-than-life scale that is appropriate as one moves toward the spiritual. The doors are framed with the stepped appearance of corbeling that brings us toward the sanctuary entrance, and serve as another reflection of Solomon's Temple. The doors themselves incorporate an array of tiny windows that gives a preview of the sanctuary. The SanctuaryUpon entering through the sanctuary doors, the procession is completed as the secular world is left behind. The Bima (pulpit) area and the Ark which contains the scrolls of the Torah, both repeat the aesthetic and symbolic themes built into the exterior of the building. Stripes of cherry wood and light-colored ash wrap the front of the sanctuary in contrasting wood tones. The stripes, of course, repeat the theme of the tefillin that is contained in the masonry stripes around the building. The two tapering pillars that flank the Bima provide a powerful base for the large translucent dome above. The dome above and the glass doors on each side provide enough light so that usually we do not need to turn on the lights during our Saturday morning Sabbath services. The changing light which fills the sanctuary and the sounds of rain tapping against the dome provide a connection with the natural order of time and seasons. Eventually, Hebrew calligraphy will be applied to the upper and lower facets of the neck of the dome, as well as to the face of the cove which circles the sanctuary. The Hebrew passages will express three traditional Jewish themes -- creation, revelation, and redemption. The sanctuary pillars and the tapered shape of the Ark echo the design of the building entry. It is common among older synagogues throughout the world, that the architectural themes of the building facade are incorporated into the Bima and Ark design. The etched glass doors of the ark express the paradox of the Biblical burning bush. Through the etched flames of the burning bush, you can see the Torah scrolls, which contain the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (the "Five Books of Moses") in ancient Hebrew script. The Torah relates, "there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed."(9) God spoke to Moses through the flames of the bush, and there revealed the Divine name that is etched in a dynamic pattern at the base of the ark door -- "I am that is."(10) The Torah scrolls rest in the physical and spiritual center of the synagogue. The sculptural Torah holders on either side of the ark are framed with curved brass rods shaped like the flame of a Sabbath candle. Like the burning bush and Sabbath candles, the reflective crystal of the Eternal Light (above the Ark) presents a flaming appearance, yet is never consumed, never touched by the heat of a flame. The Eternal light represents God's eternal presence. The radiant Eternal Light, as well as the Torahs, can be seen through the procession of glass doors as one approaches the building from the front courtyard outside. Inside and out, the Oseh Shalom synagogue building expresses pride in 4,000 years of Jewish tradition. FOOTNOTES1 Numbers Rabba, Naso, 13:6 |