A 36-hour crowdfunding campaign has generated more than the £700,000 needed to complete an ambitious £6.7 million building project at Brondesbury Park Synagogue.
In fact, the matched-funding drive brought in more than £860,000 with close to 1,000 donations. One shul member gave £18,000 but there were many £5 contributions. The children of members donated their pocket money.
Work on the new building began in 2017 and was due to be completed last summer. However, successive lockdowns hampered progress and raised costs, with the congregation having to pay for temporary accommodation for its services for longer than expected.
The success of the crowdfunder means the congregation can celebrate the High Holy-Days in its new home.
The earliest date most of the new building can be used is mid-June, although that would mean using the function room for prayers. The target date for full access to the prayer hall is the first weekend in September.
Completion of the project will be the latest stage in the resurgence of Brondesbury Park. Once a dwindling community, it was taken over by Rabbi Baruch and Kezi Levin in 2004 and has flourished in recent times. It now has around 350 member families, many of whom are fully engaged in communal life. In normal times, around half-a-dozen children’s and youth services would run every Shabbat.
Its continued growth necessitated the new shul building that will host a variety of activities across the age spectrum.
Rabbi Levin said the completion of the building would be “a communal dream come true. Beyond the bricks and mortar, it launches an immensely exciting new chapter in the life of our community and brings with it an energy and sense of opportunity which is both tantalising and far-reaching.”
Brondesbury Park chair Victoria Portnoi added that “after years of being nomads, we’ll finally have a home once more. We’ll have a range of activities and events for all ages and we can’t wait to get going with them.”
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