A look ahead at my final 6 months as chair

WHEN I TOOK ON THE MANTLE of chair of the B&G Committee, my initial commitment was for the second (i.e., last) year of my term on the board. About halfway through that period, I announced my willingness to remain as chair for an additional fiscal year — so that Cindy’s successor could enjoy the continuity while growing into the job of being president. (Little did I know at the time that my own dear spouse would decide to stand for office — and get elected as president!) Indeed, that decision has proven to be helpful to Carole.

Now, as I am on the cusp of my final 6 months in this post, let me share my vision for the remaining period. (Aside from certain termite-related work that is discussed elsewhere on this blog, which is already scheduled for January.)

Air filters and air flow in the sanctuary’s heating system: A status report

WE HAVE LEARNED this winter that on cold days, the heating system in the sanctuary has not been able to heat the room adequately while the doors and windows are open (as needed to reduce the risk of airborne infection). The relatively cold room has been uncomfortable for some, and a frustration for those who feel responsible for the situation. 

One factor to consider is the heating system’s air filters, which probably affect its ability to heat the room. This brief post discusses the impact of those filters, and related considerations.

DIY air filtration: Research report

TWO RESEARCH QUESTIONS: What difference does it make to use a 2"-thick hospital-grade (MERV-13) air filter in our DIY filtration units, versus a 1"-thick filter? And is it indeed practical to place these filtration units in series, creating continual air movement around a room, so as to induce the thorough mixing of air?

This brief post continues an ongoing discussion that’s been tagged as “ventilation.” (See index.)

Gross usable area of preschool rooms

INTERIOR Gross Usable Area  =  Large Classroom  +  Shemesh Classroom  +  Library  +  Chapel  =  1986.09 sq ft

EXTERIOR Gross Usable Area  =  Play yard  =  1390.67 sq ft

For the measurements and calculations, based on the “School Floor Plan” as-found architectural drawing in the 2003 Historic Structure Report, see below the jump.

Smoke alarms and CO detectors in the school building

THIS POST is an inventory of safety devices on the walls and ceilings — sensors whose batteries occasionally need to be replaced. (It does not make note of the alarm system’s motion sensors, nor of clocks.)

Avoiding a Pilaster Disaster

A PILASTER IS “an upright architectural member that is rectangular in plan and… usually projects one third of its width or less from the wall, and that may be load-bearing” (Merriam-Webster’s). I.e., it’s a rectangular pillar or post that sticks out from a wall. 

Our sanctuary’s south wall has 7 load-bearing pilasters. And in July I learned that the base of one of them was visibly damaged, as described HERE and HERE. Because of the structural importance of the pilaster, this damage is turning out to be a significant problem.

Damaged base of pilaster, as seen in July
(As usual, click/tap on a photo to enlarge it.)

This blog post discusses the challenges involved in repairing this pilaster base.

Mezzanine Void Project: Addressing Termite Infestation and Damage

ABOVE THE MEZZANINE ceiling is a large void that, until last week, was inaccessible to human beings — but accessible to termites. 

(Previously termites had been spotted through a ceiling hole in the southwest corner of this space, and also in its northeast corner through a roof hole, so the likelihood seemed very high that they were established also in the void between.)

Back (western) wall of the sanctuary.
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

This post describes how we created access for humans — who observed not only the purported termite infestations within, but also the structural damage that they have caused.…

South Wall Discovery Project: Initial Report

ON THREE OCCASIONS during the past two decades, structural engineers have recommended that we do test cuts into the south wall of our sanctuary. The goal: to enable more reliable cost estimates for waterproofing and possible structural repair work, hopefully later this year. Given more than two decades of known water intrusion and termite activity in that area, the engineers were concerned that there might be significant structural damage in the wall. They told us that there was only one way to find out: to look beneath the plaster surface.

Prep work, as viewed from bimah:
Marking the locations, and placing air purifiers to catch plaster dust.
(As usual, click/tap on a photo to enlarge it.)

This past week, we finally undertook that adventure in discovery. Although the board had approved this work in May 2021, it took until now to arrange for the proper alignment of funding and expertise. Careful planning (described HERE) was needed to ensure that we would get useful and reliable answers to our questions, given our limited budget. 

This post reports on what was done, and the initial findings.

Air Purification in the Main Kitchen

TO APPLY THE APPROACH to air purification that we used in the Chapel also to the kitchen, how many units would be needed, and where would they be placed? 

This post documents a study of the situation.…

Removing Theater Seats from the Sanctuary

THE THEATER SEATS in the sanctuary are held in place in three separate ways: 2 screws into the floor at the bottom of each leg, plus 2 bolts into the neighboring seat, as well as 2 seat posts. 

This post describes the attachments and how to remove them. (After a set of 2 or 3 seats is removed, it can be loaded onto a hand truck.)

Air Filtration Options for the Social Hall, Revisited

WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS for providing safe ventilation in the Social Hall? When it comes to preventing the spread of covid-19 infections, how does the performance and cost of the following options compare? 

1. Off-the-shelf filtration units sold for commercial use
2. Off-the-shelf filtration units sold for residential use
3. Do-it-yourself filtration units (assembled per a proven design)

This post offers some tentative answers.

What Do We Stand For? Preserving Local Aspirations and Traditions (5783 Galim article)

CLARIFYING WHAT WE PERSONALLY STAND FOR is a vital part of the High Holy Day season. Part of our answering that call can come from being a member of Mishkon. And part of what membership means is that together we wear the mantle of our local predecessors. 

Ocean Front Walk, 1927
(courtesy of westland.net/venicehistory)

Temple Mishkon Tephilo is both a product and a symbol of the longstanding Jewish presence in Venice and Ocean Park. So it seems timely for me to briefly recap some highlights of that local history.

Replacing a Cracked Vent Pipe in the Small Restroom of the School Building

REPLACING an apparently cracked vent pipe in a wall of the small restroom of the school building (the one on the north side of the corridor between the classrooms, across from the chapel — called the Shemesh Restroom by the pre-school) is one of two non-emergency plumbing projects now being considered. (The other is to add a toilet in the space where the urinal used to be.)

Sample cracked vent pipe —
is this what’s inside our wall?

This post describes the situation.…

South Wall: Incremental Steps toward Test Cuts (rev. 11/13)

MAKING TEST CUTS into the south wall will be an adventure in discovery. (Best case: we find that the wall’s structural integrity is in good shape. Worst case: we find that there’s significant structural damage due to water damage, dry rot, termites; and maybe there’s mold, as well.) The point of this exercise is to be able to develop reliable cost estimates for structural repair and waterproofing later this year. 

There are many issues to consider in advance, in order to ensure that we get useful and reliable answers to our questions. To me, the pending discovery stage feels a bit like sending an unmanned mission to Mars—we’ve got to get it right long before the probe lands on the unexplored surface of interest.

An American probe sent to Mars

Below the jump, this post discusses the various considerations.…

Upgrading the Filters in the Air Conditioning System

HOW CAN OUR AIR CONDITIONER (or heating unit) help to improve safety in the sanctuary during the High Holy Days? The short-term answer is better filtration.…

NOTE:  Air conditioning filtration is one of three parallel avenues that are being pursued to reduce the risk of airborne infection in the sanctuary, for the sake of public health during the pandemic. The other two avenues are: adding fans in the sanctuary, and placing air purifiers on the bimah.

Identifying the Source of Stairwell Efflorescence

PUTTING OUR HEADS TOGETHER, the asbestos inspector and I came up with a new hypothesis for why efflorescence has for years been showing up on the walls of the stairwell that goes down to the Social Hall.

Years ago, someone (Sonia Cummings?) covered these walls’ lesions with butcher paper.
(As usual, click/tap on a photo to enlarge it.)

My new understanding fits the data pretty well. Below the jump, I will explain — and offer a prognosis.…

Pressure Washing the Front Patio (Or Not!)

LAST WEEK, I LEARNED BY HAPPENSTANCE that our front patio was being pressure-washed weekly. This has been a helpful effort by the Clean Team of the Venice Beach Business Improvement District (BID), of which Mishkon is a member.

The problem is that water is the enemy of sandstone. It makes the rock flake apart.

Unfortunately, our patio is not well sealed against water penetration, as this post–pressure wash photo shows. 

20 min. after a cursory washing, 9/8/22

So until the patio is more effectively sealed, we should be doing our best to keep water AWAY from our patio.

And that’s why today (after discussing the matter with our Administrator) I asked  the BID Clean Team not to wash off our patio unless we call them and specifically request it. (As we sometimes have done, to clean up an unusual mess.) Let’s see how well that balances our need for cleanliness against our need for preservation.

Adding Fans in the Sanctuary

WHEN OUR SANCTUARY IS RELATIVELY FULL, such as on the High Holy Days, the need for ventilation is higher — especially during an airborne pandemic. Arguably this is when it makes sense to re-install electric fans in the window openings. 

In this post, I recommend a particular configuration for those fans, while offering two caveats for their operation.

NOTE:  Adding fans in the sanctuary is one of three parallel avenues that are being explored to reduce the risk of airborne infection in the sanctuary, for the sake of public health during the pandemic. The other two avenues are: air conditioning filtration, and placing air purifiers on the bimah.

Architectural Significance of Our Sanctuary’s Front Doors (rev. 5-25-23)

A WELL-KNOWN CHILD’S RIDDLE: “When is a door not a door? When it’s ajar!” The grown-up version of that conundrum might be: When is a door not a door? When it’s an architectural feature! That is, a door can sometimes have a significance far beyond its usual function of admitting and/or excluding people from the building. It can create a look that evokes key symbolic associations.

At the Dedication Ceremony (9/26/1948)
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

This post documents the architectural significance of our sanctuary’s original front doors — which seems to have gotten waylaid over time.

Air Purification on the Bimah

OUR BIMAH REGULARLY HOSTS the highest concentration of people, and the lowest circulation of air, of any space within our sanctuary. Arguably this is where an air purifier (or two or three) can really make a difference in preventing the spread of infection.

In this post, I recommend a particular brand and model of commercially available air purifier for our bimah. And I report on the research that led me to this recommendation.

NOTE:  Air purification on the bimah is one of three parallel avenues that are being explored to reduce the risk of airborne infection in the sanctuary, for the sake of public health during the pandemic. The other two avenues are: air conditioning filtration, and fans in the windows.

What Is a “Capital Improvement”?

THE TERM “CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT” is perhaps more controversial than it needs to be. There’s a widespread misconception that an “improvement” must be something new and different. Yet that’s not what the IRS says — which matters because Mishkon’s Policies cite the IRS’s regulations for business expenses as its model for determining what qualifies as a capital improvement.…

Completion Report: Restoring the Finish of the Ark’s Columns

THIS PROJECT, which was completed this week, involves a historically significant component. Therefore this post follows the report template that was provided in the 2003 Historic Structures Report, being recommended for all historic-cultural monuments. The post includes before-and-after photos.

For background, see HERE.

Authorization for Police to Arrest Trespassers

NOT THE MOST SAVORY TOPIC, I admit. Yet it’s important to be clear about our rights, so as to protect our staff, attendees, and the facilities from harm. 

This post outlines the established procedure by which Mishkon (re)authorizes the LAPD to be its agent when a trespasser is spotted on our property — and the implications and consequences thereof.

Exploration of a Side Pillar

ON THE EXTERIOR of the sanctuary building, along the south and north walls, the tie rods appear to be supported by pillars that jut out from the wall. What are these pillars made of, and what is their condition? Here is an initial answer.

Safe Ventilation for Our Smaller Indoor Spaces

WHAT DID IT TAKE to provide sufficient purified air in our Chapel earlier today, in order to allow it to be used again safely for an adult group event? 

Air Purifier #1

Below the jump, I give you the skinny, which includes a recommendation. Then I explain the source article, my engineering calculations, and the configuration. 

Summary: Recent Accomplishments: Special Termite Treatments

TWO SPECIAL PROJECTS WERE COMPLETED this month on our sanctuary building: the upper side chambers project, and the perimeter walls project. Both involved treating for termites in normally inaccessible locations. 

Looking eastward in an upper side chamber
(click or tap to enlarge)

Summary: Pending Project: Tie-Rod Connection Check

WE PLAN TO OPEN UP one of the tie-rod connections, on the outside, at the 2nd column on the north wall, to ensure the sanctuary’s structural integrity. Here is a view from the inside.…

(The function of the tie rods is to hold the walls in a vertical position, while the load of the vaulted roof is, in effect, pushing those walls apart.) 

Summary: Pending Project: Stained-Glass Window Restoration

THE PLAN FOR OUR WINDOWS has been evolving in recent months. It is now more modest.… 

Summary: Pending Project: South Wall

THE SINGLE BIGGEST CHALLENGE that we face in our facilities restoration effort is the poor and still-uncertain condition of the sanctuary’s long south wall. It is in bad shape. Fully defining the scope of the problem, and then fixing it, is the most urgent project (in terms of thereby avoiding an escalating cost of further delays). And it is the bottleneck on our way to refinishing (repainting) the interior of our sanctuary.

View from our neighbor’s parking lot

This post sums up where we stand, after a recent report from a waterproofing consultant.

Summary: Recent Accomplishments: Roof Maintenance and Termite Treatment

WITHIN THE SPACE OF sixteen days, Mishkon has received its annual maintenance both for the roof and for termite infestation. The fact that both of these have now been undertaken 2 years in a row is noteworthy, for it seems to be historic. To my knowledge, it is unprecedented. 

Star = ground-level spot where termites were found and treated this month
(click or tap to enlarge diagram)

In these two key areas of concern, we may be moving from only crisis management to ongoing facilities management. While annual roof and termite maintenance can’t quite yet be considered a “routine” part of what we do at Mishkon, this single repetition feels to me like a big achievement in itself. This post explains why.…

A Historic Moment? Annual Maintenance Gets Done!

WITHIN THE SPACE OF sixteen days, Mishkon has received its annual maintenance both for the roof and for termite infestation. The fact that both of these have now been undertaken 2 years in a row is noteworthy, for it seems to be historic. To my knowledge, it is unprecedented. 

Schematic drawing of locations needing treatment last year

In these two key areas of concern, we may be moving from only crisis management to ongoing facilities management. While annual roof and termite maintenance can’t quite yet be considered a “routine” part of what we do at Mishkon, this single repetition feels to me like a big achievement in itself. This post explains why.…

Applicable Sign Regulations in L.A.

IT’S NOT EASY to decipher the City’s sign ordinances and how they apply to Mishkon. This post makes an attempt.…

The South Wall Looms Large

THE WATERPROOFING CONSULTANT’S REPORT tells us what we already knew: the south wall of the sanctuary is in bad shape. Yet now the details of that picture are more clear than they were just a few weeks ago.

The poor and still-uncertain condition of this wall is the single biggest challenge that we face in our facilities restoration effort (just to fully define the scope of the problem, let alone to fix it). It is the most urgent project (in terms of thereby avoiding an escalating cost of further delays). And it is the bottleneck on our way to refinishing (repainting) the interior of our sanctuary.

In this post, I will summarize the report — both its diagnosis, recommended treatment, and prognosis for the health of our wall.

Wanted: Can You Patch Faux-Wood Lacquer?

OUR ARK CAN USE some tender loving care. As you presumably know, it is graced on either side by columns. What you may not realize is that those columns are made of sheet metal that is coated with what seems to be lacquer. Unfortunately, that coating, which is painted to look like wood, has chipped off in places. 

Close-up of chips in the surface of our ark’s columns

Would you like to be the one to fill in the chips — and thus restore the ark? Do you know someone who would be qualified to do so?

The 2003 Historic Structure Report noted that “the Classical Revival–style ark is … made of galvanized steel.” (That surface is the gray color in the photo.) 

A sign visible in a photograph documenting what seems to have been the original dedication in 1948 stated that the “Oron Kaydesh” (אָרוֹן קוֹדשׁ, ark) was donated by Mrs. Ben Levy.

UPDATE, 9/9/22:  See the Completion Report HERE.

Sit Back and Enjoy Our Theater Seats

THERE AREN’T MANY SYNAGOGUES whose sanctuary features metal upholstered folding theater-style seating. Usually the older synagogues have benches or pews — which is what Mishkon had in its previous space. (Guess which type of seating is more comfortable?) 

This post dwells on the nature of these seats and their value as a significant element in Mishkon’s history. Below the jump, you can read about their provenance, and the prospects for their eventual restoration.…

Termite Perimeter Treatment of the Sanctuary’s Long Walls

HOW MANY HOLES does it take to fill the Albert Hall? I honestly don’t know—ask Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band! 😉 But I do know roughly how many holes it takes to perform a perimeter termite treatment on the long walls of our sanctuary hall. 

Namely, more than 250! That’s the number of holes that were drilled and filled this week in our sanctuary. And that was for the upper half of those walls only.

Below the jump, this post explains the why, how, and what of the treatment. Of course, with accompanying photos (courtesy of Ruben Carrillo).…

What Roof Maintenance Looks Like

A ROOF IS NOT A STATIC THING that just sits there. Rather, it expands daily under the baking sun — with different sections being exposed at different times of day — and contracts every night, and during cold snaps. It withers under ultraviolet light. And it endures rainstorms and the rush of flowing stormwaters.

So when you think about it, it’s not surprising that a roof can use a little loving care once a year.

Below the jump is a brief description, with photos, of the annual preventive maintenance that was performed this week on our sanctuary roof.…

Upper Side Chambers: The Rest of the Story

EARLIER THIS MONTH, I described my plan to open up two normally enclosed chambers at the junction between the sanctuary roof, ceiling, and walls. Well, that plan was enacted yesterday. We learned a few things, and we took some action! This post describes what happened, and the outcome.…

Looking eastward toward the viewing port
that Ruben and I had peeked through last week

Suggested Projects for the Community Building Day

A FEW WEEKS PRIOR to her recent adventure in parturition, Shiri Sassoon asked me for my suggestions of hands-on projects to engage volunteers at the upcoming Community Building Day. 

Here is my wish list, at least in rough form, in order of importance. Now if you tell me which ones that you are interested in pursuing, I will help to refine them.…

The Upper Side Chambers Project: Situation and Plans

OUR SANCTUARY BUILDING includes two long, narrow, enclosed chambers. They run high along the side walls between the ceiling and the roof. About 117’ long, their cross-section is approximately the shape of a triangle whose sides are each about 3’ long. 

The upper side chambers are underneath
the roof troughs that run along the long walls.

This post (originally published 8/1, now with 5 new photos and more info) lays out our plans for assessing the structural integrity and state of termite activity in these chambers, and for halting any such activity. The work of discovery and treatment is scheduled for August 15.…

The Window That Worries Me the Most (Updated from 7/17)

THIS 4TH WINDOW from the bimah (3rd from the lobby) is a matter of concern.

For a brief analysis of its condition, see after the jump break.…

Another Water Intrusion Puzzler Solved?

THIS TALE BEGINS in April, when I noticed blistering and peeling paint on the corner column in front of the sanctuary. Along with the other columns, it had been painted less than a year earlier! Meanwhile, the other columns looked fine.

The painter and I guessed that water was somehow getting through the roof and running down the inside of this column. Then the primer was unable to adhere to the moist plaster.

So I tried to get to the bottom of the situation — literally.… 

A Closer Look at the South Side Water Intrusion

YESTERDAY, thanks to our gracious neighbor, I got a closer look at the exterior south wall.…

Our South Wall Seems to Be Getting Battered (rev. 8/20)

THE SOUTH WALL turns out to have many problems, only one of which I’ll address here. Namely, it seems to have suffered repeated physical assaults. The result is that the stucco has been dented, chipped, and cracked to the point of flaking off in large chunks.

The problem is almost entirely concentrated in the area where the trash and recycling bins are kept. As I shall demonstrate, the most obvious culprits are the handlers of those bins.…

Completion Report: Fixing the Play Yard’s Gate

THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED more than 9 months ago, on 9/22/21. I’m posting it now because the report itself exemplifies how every project involving a historically significant component is supposed to be documented. That is, it follows the report template provided in the 2003 Historic Structures Report, and recommended for all historic-cultural monuments. 

In retrospect, it’s a bit ironic that I first applied the template to a facilities component that has no historical significance! (I think I did so because this project was easier to write up — being less convoluted than the ones that involve our older components tend to be.) Yet I post it anyway, for the record. Who knows, the information may come in handy, in the future. For before-and-after photos, scroll to the end.…

Compromises in the Outer Wall on the South Side

THE EVER-ALERT Brett Barenholtz has called my attention to some breaks and gaps in the sanctuary’s stucco wall on the south side. 

I wasn’t previously aware of the problem, because that wall is not normally accessible to us, due to our neighbors’ fence around their parking lot. (Yes, it’s merely a matter of giving due notice to the owner, Perloff & Webster, and getting permission to go in; but I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet.…) 

This post documents the issue—which needs to be fixed before the rainy season, and before doing interior wall repairs.…

What’s Next for the Sanctuary?

AS WE GET CLOSE to putting a stop (for a while) to rainwater intrusion and to termite activity in our sanctuary structure, it’s time to prepare for the next stage in its restoration: to rebuild, seal, and refinish the long walls.

This project is intended to integrate several goals: structural integrity, seismic safety, historic preservation, and aesthetic rehabilitation. Please understand that in order to achieve those goals, the walls will need to be torn open. In other words, they will look a lot worse while the restoration efforts and safety enhancements are underway. 

Although at this point we can only sketch a picture of what is needed, we are fortunate to have available the guidance of several professional assessments and consultations with experts.…

Tree at Last!

THE STREET TREE was pruned today. Okay, it got done a little later than the June 9 date announced in my discussion of tree care HERE. 

Giving fair warning to our neighbor who parks next to the tree.

What happened in the meantime? This post updates you on this modest maintenance project.…

Water Intrusion Control Projects in the 2021–22 Fiscal Year: The Rest of the Story

PHASE II OF THE FLAGSTONE RESTORATION PROJECT was undertaken in late 2021, mainly to control ongoing water intrusion into the sanctuary building. Three smaller projects meanwhile also had the same goal. As this fiscal year comes to a close, here is a blog post that gathers those threads, weaving them into the fabric of a loosely told story.…

Safe Air Quality in the Social Hall: A Quickie Feasibility Study

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE to get sufficient ventilation in our Social Hall, in order to allow it to be used again safely, despite pandemic waves? What kind of mechanical equipment would be needed, and how much would it cost? 

Below the jump, I make some back-of-the-envelope calculations. Spoiler alert: The estimated cost is a whopping $271.

More about the Restoration of Stained-Glass Windows

RECENTLY, Michelle Geil and I have been corresponding with a restorer of stained-glass windows, to find out what a restoration project would involve.

Below the jump, I report on some of what we have learned.…

Board Approves Six Maintenance/Repair Projects

DURING THIS MONTH’S REGULAR MEETING, Mishkon’s board of directors passed three facilities-related resolutions. Taken together, the authorize expenditures — as funds are available — up to certain stated amounts for six projects. All of them are slated to be undertaken (at least begun) this summer. 

Below the jump, I list these projects, and I give hyperlinks to blog posts that have already discussed 3 of them.…

Workers Compensation and the Hiring of Contractors

WHEN WE LOOK FOR SOMEONE to do a maintenance/repair job for us, occasionally we come across a self-employed licensed contractor (or even an unlicensed one) who seems qualified and willing and affordable — except that they don’t have workers compensation insurance. (A small contractor who has no employees is legally exempt from the requirement to carry workers comp.)

This post discusses how to proceed in such a case.…