Dear Temple Adat Elohim Family:
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday spending time with people you love. We are very thankful to be part of such a wonderful temple community, and can’t wait to be back together with you at our facility. To that end, we wanted to provide you with an update about the effort to clean up smoke and ash damage at TAE from the recent fires.
Our insurance adjusters have completed their damage report and we now understand that, unfortunately, our facility had more damage than we originally thought. This is because of our close proximity to the fire and the extra hazardous particulates that the neighboring cars and houses emitted when they burned. The entire campus needs a more thorough cleaning to comply with regulations and ensure everyone’s complete safety. We know this is disruptive and we are doing our best to reopen as soon as possible.
We are very fortunate that Camp Alonim has opened its doors to our preschool and religious school in the meantime. We spent many days trying to find a location that would accommodate our entire school and are lucky to have found such a beautiful campus. We now expect to be able to return to our buildings according to the schedule below.
SCHEDULE FOR CAMPUS REOPENING
- This week (Week of Nov. 26): Reopen administration building
- The administration building is open for business effective today, Nov. 26. Meetings and classes scheduled in this building will resume.
- We will complete cleaning of the sanctuary, social hall and classrooms.
- We will continue the work already underway to repaint and install new flooring in all classrooms, with the goal of completing downstairs classrooms first.
- We will begin carpet installation in the social hall, with the goal of being able to use the room on Dec. 2 to host the Winter Shelter.
- Starting Nov. 26, preschool classes will be held at Camp Alonim, 1101 Pepper Tree Lane, Simi Valley. Donna and Doreen already sent an email to preschool parents with more details.
- On Nov. 27-28, religious school classes for 8th-10th graders and 4th-6th graders are cancelled. Seventh grade tutoring will go forward as planned in the Youth Lounge.
- On Nov. 30, we will hold Shabbat services in another location to be announced later in the week.
- On Dec. 1, 7th graders will lead Shabbat Tefillah at Camp Alonim. Marcy will send a separate email soon with more details.
- On Dec. 2, religious school classes for kindergarten-6th grade will be held at Camp Alonim. Marcy will send a separate email soon with more details.
Next week (Week of Dec. 3): Gradually open rest of campus
- We will finish painting in the social hall, sanctuary and upstairs classrooms.
- We will finish carpeting the sanctuary and installing new flooring in the classrooms.
- We will reinstall pews in the sanctuary and return furnishings to the classrooms.
- On Dec. 4-5, we currently expect that religious school classes for 7th-10th graders and 4th-6th graders will resume at TAE. On the 4th, students will meet in the Social Hall for dinner at 5:30 p.m. On the 5th, students will meet in the Youth Lounge at 3:45 p.m. to begin Chanukkah celebrations.
- On Dec. 5, we expect that the social hall will be open for the Seniors Chanukkah party–to which all are invited. See this week’s TAE email newsletter for more details.
- On Dec. 7, we will rededicate our sanctuary with Chanukkah Shabbat services. We are planning a very special celebration in the social hall after– be sure to read this week’s TAE email newsletter for more information!
- On Dec. 9, we expect that religious school classes for kindergarten-6th grade will return to the classrooms at TAE in time for a Chanukkah celebration.
Week of Dec. 10: Preschool classes return to TAE
CAMPUS CLEAN-UP OVERVIEW
For those who are interested, here is an overview of what we are doing to sanitize our facilities. It will be wonderful to return to new carpets and fresh paint!
Sanctuary and Social Hall
- Cleaning all vents and ducts and replacing filters
- Removing and replacing the carpets in all rooms (gift shop, Brotherhood and Sisterhood closets, Seniors closet, Bride’s Room, Clergy room, Shalom room)
- Cleaning, sanitizing and repainting walls
- Vacuuming ceiling and beams with a hepa vacuum
- Vacuuming and shampooing pews and social hall, choir and bima chairs
- Cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces in the restrooms
- Cleaning audio and sound equipment
Classrooms
- Cleaning all vents and ducts and replacing filters
- Removing and replacing all carpets with new flooring
- Cleaning, sanitizing and repainting walls
- Cleaning and sanitizing nap mats and linens with free and clear detergents
- Cleaning and sanitizing all toys and supplies inside and outside
- Cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces in the restrooms
- Cleaning the entire play yard including replacing the sand in the sandbox
Administration Building
- Cleaning all vents and ducts and replacing filters
- Vacuuming and shampooing flooring with a hepa vacuum
- Cleaning and sanitizing walls
- Vacuuming, cleaning and shampooing all upholstered furniture
- Cleaning all loose items (books, desk equipment, pictures, art work, computers, monitors, etc.)
Building Exteriors/Shed
- Power washing building exteriors, walkways and parking lot
- Cleaning all items stored in the shed (including supplies used for the Winter Shelter)
Landscaping
- When insurance approves: Removing and replacing burned trees and shrubs
We will continue to provide updates as needed to keep you informed. In the meantime, if you have any questions about specific scheduled events or other concerns, please call the temple office at 805-491-7101.
Thank you again for your patience and support.
Sandy Greenstein, President
Aliza Goland, Executive Director
Rabbi Barry Diamond
Cantor David Shukiar
Marcy Goldberg, Director of Education
Donna Becker, Early Childhood Center Director