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Selling the Synagogue By: JoJO Cooper

These pictures are from the earliest construction work of the temple.

The Temple Society of Concord, Central NY’s oldest Jewish congregation, has voted to sell the synagogue for Syracuse University student housing. The 180 year old congregation is the ninth oldest in the United States. The construction of the synagogue took many years, and those years seem almost wasted when you take a look at the building's condition now.

Temple Concord's maintenance manager, Floyd, cleans up the parking lot and entrance.

These unflattering pictures of the cracked and pothole-filled parking lot and entrance are the first things visitors see when they arrive at the synagogue. In the second picture, you can see the dip in the ceiling. That is also the floor of the school wing of the temple, making it dangerous for students and staff to walk upstairs because of the damaged and dented floor.

The 6th grade classroom is located at the end of this leakage damaged hallway.

The school hallway and classrooms are visibly damaged by leaking. Brown stains cover the ceiling, and pipes leak constantly. There is usually a chair with a bucket at the end of the hallway that collects water from the worst leaking spot. The image on the right shows a light that the cover had to be taken off of because of damage. The exposed wires are even more dangerous because of the possibility of water getting in or around the light fixture.

Pictured here is the old art classroom, and an unusable bathroom.

This classroom used to be full of color, artwork, and smiling students. But there is so much damage, from leaking to falling ceiling, that students aren't even allowed inside. A tarp and garbage can are the only things collecting ceiling dust and water drops. Even the stairs at the far end of the room are cracking and dangerous to walk on. The bathroom used to be used by congregants all the time, but now it isn't even bothered to be cleaned. The plumbing doesn't work, there are cobwebs all over, and you can't even see out of the window through all of the stains and dust.

Pictured on the left is a curtain covering a large window in the Social Hall, and on the right is an office full of construction plans for the new temple location.

Even though this picture is a great representation of the horrible condition the building is in, some people still don't want to move or sell the building. Whether they’re congregants or neighbors, many have strong opinions against the planning of a new facility. They are more concerned about the historical aspect of the temple, rather than the future of the congregation.

This is the view of downtown from a third story bathroom.

Another reason that people are worried about the move is because of location. No one besides the Board of Trustees knows any possible locations. Right now, Temple Concord is located in downtown Syracuse on the Syracuse University campus. It is natural to fear the unknown; the unknown information about where everyone will go/end up. What we do know is that the temple will most likely be knocked down and rebuilt as student housing. The synagogue needs the money to purchase the new facility. It will cost more to renovate the already standing temple, than it would to move and rebuild completely.

This is a picture of the sanctuary taken through the back door of the temple building.

Through all of the dust and leaking, the synagogue still holds great beauty. The sanctuary, the holiest room of the temple, is in pretty good condition. There are some parts of the ceiling that are cracking and breaking off, but it is still one of the least dangerous rooms of the building. This room holds an organ that is visited by hundreds of people each year. It is one of the largest in the nation, and in almost the best condition. The organ is another part of the temple that members are concerned about losing, but it is certain that the music of the congregation's voices will be taken to the next location which will give it a sense of home. No matter what happens, what is taken and what is left, the congregation will always have each other and their incredible spirit.