Stained Glass Windows: Restoration and Care

“THE WINDOWS at Temple Mishkon Tephilo are fine examples of mid-century American stained glass. Their simple repeating pattern with minimal paint allowed for all of the windows to be commissioned at one time at a reasonable cost. This also provided the proper visual element for the worship space while diffusing, but not obscuring, the strong Southern California sunlight.”

So wrote David Judson, the head of America’s oldest family-run stained glass studio: Judson Studios in Highland Park. He is a great-great-grandson of its founder. A little more than 19 years ago (2-13-03), Judson assessed the condition of our art glass windows—which are now 74 years old—and offered guidance for their restoration. 

 

This post restates that report, as re-edited with a focus on its action items. Although we don’t yet have cost estimates for the needed restoration work, at least we have reliable guidance as to what should be done. [I also add my own observations, in square brackets.]

Strategic Budgeting for Major Repair & Replacement Projects

THAT WAS THE TITLE of a timely introductory presentation sponsored this month by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (the international association of Conservative synagogues). Highly rec­om­mended for all readers of this blog is the Zoom recording (57 min.) HERE. 

Related resources are also available…

News: Sanctuary Brightened by a Deep Cleaning

KUDOS TO our interim administrator, Ellie, who took the initiative to arrange for the sanctuary space to be cleaned and refreshed. 👏

Floor scrubbing between the rows of seats

Last week, a 5-person cleaning crew worked for 3 days to accomplish the following tasks:

• Stripped off the finish on the flooring (resilient composition floor tile) and applied a shiny new protective layer
• Vacuumed and shampooed the carpets in the aisles and on the bimah
• Cleaned all wood on bimah and applied a new layer of wood polish
• Shampooed the sanctuary chairs and spot cleaned for stains
• Wiped down the baseboards
• Deep cleaned the restrooms. 

According to Ellie, “the amazing person who made it all happen” is Janessa Brooks, the CEO of J and B Maintenance, which specializes in construction clean-up — and in this case graciously donated their labor and materials. 💪

Ellie said to me, “I hope people can see the care we are putting into the upkeep and maintenance of our facility.” Oh, yes, indeed—it shows! 😁

Draft Plan of Action for a Front Fence

GUIDING PRINCIPLE: Designing a front fence encap­­sulates the fundamental question of what it means to be a Jew in America today. Conse­quently, such a design process has unique potential to engage (or to alienate) Mishkon’s members. 

This post describes the tentative plan for a design process that I have developed with input from committee member Marcy Drexler. (She deserves credit for having read many background reports, and having interviewed the city’s preservation architect, representatives of neighborhood stakeholder organizations, and a local ironworker/welder.) 

The board has not yet received, reviewed, or accepted this plan. It is a draft — and thus subject to revision.

A Front Fence for Mishkon’s Sanctuary?

This post points to my article in the Winter 2022 Galim, which I wrote on 1/9/22. 

https://www.mishkon.org/galim-blog-winter-2022.html?post_id=1297101

(Otherwise, given that Mishkon's website doesn't archive past issues of Galim, you will no longer have access to that article after the next issue comes out.)

Furthermore, that article references a slide show of wrought-iron fences in front of 16 synagogue façades, in chronological order from 1794 to 1921. Unfortunately, as of this writing, the link given is not active. So here is the intended link:

https://ia601508.us.archive.org/8/items/synagogues-and-wrought-iron-fences.-survey-slides.-9-jan-22/Synagogues_and_Wrought-Iron_Fences.Survey_Slides.9Jan22.pdf

How Much $$ to Ensure the Long-Term Viability of Our Facilities?

GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING that the board’s policy has allocated from dues for maintenance and repair purposes, it is more than sufficient to pay for Mishkon’s regular, periodic maintenance needs.

A typical annual termite inspection

And enough additional funds are likely to accumulate from these sources (as well as from the regular Building assessment, the Kleinman Family Fund, and any bequests) to fund the future replacement or restoration of worn components, as well. 

Replaced patio flagstone, ready for grouting (Oct. 2021)

However, there are three aspects of facilities care that are not provided for by regular funding: (1) the present replacement or restoration of worn components—that is, catching up on deferred maintenance and arresting the processes of degradation; (2) several new capital improvements worth doing soon; and (3) a cash cushion to allow big-ticket items to be paid for when the need arises. In other words, we need a sizable infusion of funds to get us over the hump of our present humble condition.

Sanctuary roof, looking westward

In this post, I will discuss the target funding levels both for our urgent present facilities needs and for our future ones—and the prospects for achieving those.

Torah Scrolls Need Loving Care, Too

IT’S WIDELY ACKNOWLEDGED that regular maintenance and cleaning is needed to keep ספרי תורה sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls) in usable condition, and to preserve their useful life at the lowest overall cost. How­ever, the lore is not well known. 

In this post, I give some basic how-to guidance as gleaned from several סופרים sof’rim (Torah scribes). I also offer some sample photos of anomalies from last year’s inventory of our scrolls.

In this scroll, which is said to be some 3 centuries old,
the scribe patched the parchment even before inscribing it—
and then worked around it.

Recently, Morley Berenbach (the newest member of our committee) offered to serve as the custodian of our scrolls. If you are interested in assisting him in this effort, please let me know.

The Restoration Plan, as It Stands

AS MY LOYAL READERS KNOW WELL, last June, the board approved a facilities restoration plan. Its execution is of course subject to the availability of funding, which I have little control over. Yet at least we have a plan, regarding our priorities and how to go about meeting our goals. Here is a status update.…

Flagstone Restoration Project: The Untold Story

PHASE I OF THE FLAGSTONE RESTORATION PROJECT is a great reminder of what such efforts can accomplish. Last spring, the flagstone pavement in front of our sanctuary’s steps was looking pretty darn decrepit. Happily, by November, it had been restored to the point where routine maintenance should be able to keep it in decent condition for a couple of decades. Here is an overview of how the project proceeded.…