Revealing “new” photos from the 1948 sanctuary dedication

UNTIL TODAY, I had never known what the façade of Mishkon’s sanctuary looked like when the building was dedicated on 9/26/1948. But now I have come across the thumbnail images of two photographic negatives in the online archive of the Santa Monica History Museum. They held several surprises!

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it—
although in this case it’s a low-resolution image.)

This archive actually holds 15 film negatives of that auspicious day at Mishkon some 75 years ago — including of the Torah procession and the ceremonial ribbon-cutting. Given their glorious detail, they seem to have been made with a large-format camera. All of the images appear to differ from what is now in the possession of our synagogue.

Below the jump, I will focus on the building-related facts that I gleaned from examining the online thumbnail images.…

How to reduce bad behavior behind our marquee sign

IN ORDER TO REDUCE how often local unhoused residents pee and poop specifically behind our marquee sign, let me recommend that we mount this image on the back of the sign (where it would be hidden from the street).

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

There’s good reason to think this measure would make a difference. And if, as a result, Ruben won’t need to hose off the flagstone steps so often, it will not only be easier on him, and it will not only save water, but also the steps themselves will last much longer — reducing our long-term maintenance costs.

Below the jump, I cite the scientific basis for my suggested approach.…

Repairing the monument marquee sign (when its title sign falls out)

LAST FRIDAY MORNING, I arrived at Mishkon (to meet the termite-treatment crew) and noticed a problem with our monument marquee sign. 

(No, I’m not talking about the missing lettering on the glass-covered board inside — which says ELCO TO IS ON instead of WELCOME TO MISHKON. That’s not the B&G Committee’s responsibility, is it?)

This post identifies the repair problem and describes how I managed to fix it myself.