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JRC Launches New Construction, Recieves Grant
On July 1, JRC moved out of its building of almost 50 years and moved into temporary office, school, and prayer spaces in order to demolish its building and build anew. The new building won't just be any old construction. It will meet the highest level of established "green" building standards and has received a $105,000 grant to help from the Illinois Clean Energy and Community Foundation. JRC, the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation of Evanston, IL, has almost 500 families. Creating the new building will cost $15 million. The congregation has pledges of 80 per cent of that and will finance the remaining funds needed. Construction is expected to last one year. The congregation has done an exceptional job in keeping it's congreants apprised of the efforts and the changes that will occur over the next year. The lead article on the JRC web site about the new building is titled, "JRC Embraces Transition and Change." You can view the informative web pages offered congregants during this exciting time.
Comments
Time of JRC in the current building.
Just a note: JRC entered the building they are now replacing in the mid-70s, about 1974-75 or 76, and the article about the new building says that they were in the building 50 years. The congregation started in the 60s and was literally peripatetic, and I had heard about them and I was looking for a Reconstructionist address, but because they moved so often, it took me a while to find them, which was around 1966, when JRC was still in a nascent state.
I consider myself among the founding members, but Leroy Shuster was the founder. He also served as president of the predecessor to the current JRF, and is the father of RRC graduate, Rabbi Gail Shuster who lives in Israel.
When I finally found JRC, they were meeting in the basement of the Shuster residence in Evanston, and as we grew, we rented space in the Evanston public schools. During this period, we didn't have a rabbi and Leroy and I ran most of the services.
At the time I left the area, JRC was hiring a rabbi, and I coincidentally moved out to California at that time, but I recall that we were talking about buying the building they currently occupy on Dodge Avenue in Evanston, IL. It had been a Conservative synagogue whose membership was getting old and who didn't have children to fill the classrooms. The building was getting to be a financial burden for them, so it was a very opportune moment for both congregations.
I saw the computer depiction of the proposed building and it is very beautiful.