Stories from our partner congregations
Construction on JRC-Evanston's new LEED Rated Building
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation - Evanston, IL
JRC-Evanston stands for the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston. A partner of Faith in Place for some time, JRC-Evanston is currently engaged in what is probably the most ambitious green project of any of our partners: building an entire new building to the LEED standard (the green building rating system of the National Green Building Council). The values of the JRC-Evanston community are shown in the resolution their board adopted at the beginning of their planning.
Together they decided: “As a Jewish community, JRC values the concept of Bal Tashchit in its broadest sense--the Jewish imperative to be mindful of and conserve natural resources. We desire that JRC's new home embody this fundamental respect for our environment, and we recommend that our building project be targeted for LEED certification at the highest level feasible.” (Bal Tashchit in Hebrew means “do not waste”.)
Building projects of any kind are ambitious, and a LEED-rated synagogue raises additional challenges. The LEED standards cover everything from how the pre-existing building materials are recycled to the paint on the walls of the new finished structure. But Rabbi Brant Rosen’s perspective is that the challenges help to make the space sacred for its occupants. “The decision to build a green synagogue building has challenged us in all the right ways. It has helped us to better clarify our primary religious values – and how to make them an integral part of our decision making process. In the end, we’ve learned that sacred space is not defined by a physical building per se, but the process by which it is built.”