Synagogue in Putnam Valley Continues Revitalization
The first time Andy Milkis walked into Temple Israel of Putnam Valley, he immediately felt like he was part of a big family. Since then, he and his family have never looked back.
Milkis, his wife, and two children had been part of other synagogues in the area for several years, but those other places of worship never clicked the way it does at Temple Israel.
“Someone suggested we come here,” Milkis said. “And we just fell in love with the place.”
And not only has Milkis, a Cortlandt resident, fallen in love with it, but he’s had a large part in helping the temple work toward revitalization. Currently, there are 30 families that are part of the temple. But the temple’s leadership is always looking for more members, explaining the small numbers allows everyone to get involved.
The synagogue was established in the 1940s and was only for summer time services because of poor insulation. Over the next few decades, many Jewish families who had summer homes in members that live in the area also helped Putnam Valley would use the temple as an epicenter for social and religious activity.
“It was a very big Jewish community here,” Milkis said. “The original members of the temple either moved away or died away.”
As the years moved on, the building was neglected. But in the last two years, members have done a lot to bring the temple back to a more respectable form.
It started with the steps outside. One day, with his son’s bar mitzvah approaching, Milkis decided the steps needed a fresh paint job. One of the other and another member offered to pay for the costs.
In the past 12 months, Milkis said the roof, basement, bathrooms and other structural needs have been improved. Additionally, the sign outside has been worked on, the vestibule was renovated, and all the light fixtures and carpeting in the sanctuary are new.
In the future, the front wall is going to be rebuilt and the patio is going to be worked on. The temple will also become more handicap friendly and the pews in the sanctuary will either be refinished or replaced.
Along with the structural improvements, the synagogue continues to offer more programs like a special Learning Shabbat service on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month (first one is Dec. 10). Temple Israel has also partnered with the Yorktown Jewish Center so members are allowed to go there and members from Yorktown can come to the Putnam Valley temple to bring the Jewish community together.
On Feb. 26, the temple will be presenting a concert by Alicia Svigals, the world’s leading klezmer fiddler, a founder of the Grammy-winning Klezmatics who she co-led for 17 years.
And although the temple doesn’t have a traditional Hebrew school, there are members that volunteer to tutor children going through the temple in preparation for their bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah. Those members are willing to even come to the person’s house of the child or children they are helping.
While the work has been arduous, it’s been rewarding. There is no paid staff and each week, the services are community run, which Milkis calls one of the temple’s charms.
“It wasn’t dead, it wasn’t dying,” Milkis said. “It just needed some love.”
Stephen Axinn, who serves as the temple’s rabbi, said he joined the temple in 1985 when membership began to decline and the building itself wasn’t well kept. (Axinn was actually an attorney for 55 years and is now a student in rabbinical school.)
Axinn originally came to this temple because of its warmth. He’s now decided to be a rabbinical student because he’s always wanted to be a better student of Judaism and more spiritual person.
The temple tries to be as inclusive as possible, with dues only $250 per year to be a temple member, Axinn said. As someone who is in his 70s, Axinn is pleased to see a younger generation taking charge, like Miklis.
“We make it clear to people you’re joining a family,” Axinn said. “You get to celebrate with them, you get to cry with them, go to services with them and everybody pitches in to run this place.”
Milkis calls Temple Israel unique, offering an environment where new members can come in and make the synagogue into whatever they want it to be. Milkis admits he walked into the temple not interested in his Jewish heritage, but the more he got involved, the more he found who he was.
“The core of Judaism is community,” Milkis said. “If you’re interested at all in finding that spark again or sharing the true essence of what it means to be Jewish, this is the perfect place.”
For more information on Temple Israel of Putnam Valley, please go to tipv.org.
