A rendering of the proposed synagogue. (Courtesy Integration Design Group)
After praying in a basement for a decade, a Hilltop synagogue has begun building a new temple for its congregation.
“Frankly, there’s just some people who just don’t want to daven in a basement,” said Eytan Abrahams, using the Yiddish word for “pray.”
Abrahams is treasurer of Kehilas Bais Yisroel, which was founded in 2010 and has leased space from another Jewish organization at 295 S. Locust St. for almost its entire existence.
The Orthodox congregation is now looking to build a one-story, 9,000-square-foot synagogue about a quarter mile away at 6530 E. Dakota Ave., southeast of the intersection of Monaco and Alameda.
“We’ve essentially outgrown the facilities,” Abrahams said.
It’s likely the first synagogue built in Denver since the turn of the century, said Rabbi Danny Wolfe, director of the Olami Denver Experience, a Jewish community organization.
Kehilas Bais Yisroel currently worships in the basement of this building at 295 S. Locust St. in Denver. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Kehilas bought the 0.6-acre site for its new synagogue in March 2020 for $1.06 million, or $40 a square foot. Currently, it’s a fenced-off vacant lot where a house once stood.
The synagogue submitted its initial plans to the city early last month. The project has already raised about $2 million from family and friends of the congregation. It’s expected to cost somewhere north of $5 million in total, Abrahams said.
“The area that we’re in, it’s very residential … It’s very hard to find an existing commercial building that even if we put some money into it would be semi-suitable,” Abrahams said. “We did look over the years to buy a house and convert it; it just didn’t work for various reasons.”
The lot is close to a number of other key Denver Jewish institutions. Just to the south is the BMH-BJ Orthodox synagogue at 560 S. Monaco Street Parkway, whose roots date back over a century. To the northwest of the site at 399 S. Monaco Street Parkway is The Jewish Experience, a community and event space.
Kehilas is hoping to have its site fully permitted and ready for shovels to hit the dirt by the end of next summer, according to the congregation’s website.
Founding Rabbi Avraham Jacobs leads Kehilas Bais Yisroel. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Inside, there will be a large sanctuary for prayer and study, along with a social hall, kitchen, classrooms and an office. There will also be space for a playground and child center, along with storage and parking.
The synagogue was founded as a community congregation. It’s not affiliated with any national or umbrella organization. Founding Rabbi Avraham Jacobs, a Denver native, left town after elementary school, studying Torah and other Jewish texts in Wisconsin, Maryland and Israel. He came back to the city 16 years ago, teaching classes at Yeshiva Toras Chaim High School in Sloan’s Lake.
Later, some community members approached him, looking to start their own synagogue after their rabbi had left. He obliged, and since its inception, the synagogue has grown from around a dozen families to almost 60.
“I think there’s a camaraderie here, there’s a warm feeling of community. There’s a feeling that people care about each other,” Jacobs said.
The rabbi at Kehilas said he’s had his eye on the land since the inception of the synagogue.
“I wouldn’t say it fell into our lap,” said Jacobs. “We had inquired several times about that land and there were people living there and it wasn’t for sale. Eventually, they were interested in selling it. Again, we inquired – things didn’t work out. They took it off the market.”
“Eventually, they approached us again and said they were interested in selling and you know, with a lot of grace from God and help from God, it ended up working out.”
They own the land “free and clear,” with no outstanding loans, he said.
A rendering of the proposed synagogue. (Courtesy Integration Design Group)
After praying in a basement for a decade, a Hilltop synagogue has begun building a new temple for its congregation.
“Frankly, there’s just some people who just don’t want to daven in a basement,” said Eytan Abrahams, using the Yiddish word for “pray.”
Abrahams is treasurer of Kehilas Bais Yisroel, which was founded in 2010 and has leased space from another Jewish organization at 295 S. Locust St. for almost its entire existence.
The Orthodox congregation is now looking to build a one-story, 9,000-square-foot synagogue about a quarter mile away at 6530 E. Dakota Ave., southeast of the intersection of Monaco and Alameda.
“We’ve essentially outgrown the facilities,” Abrahams said.
It’s likely the first synagogue built in Denver since the turn of the century, said Rabbi Danny Wolfe, director of the Olami Denver Experience, a Jewish community organization.
Kehilas Bais Yisroel currently worships in the basement of this building at 295 S. Locust St. in Denver. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Kehilas bought the 0.6-acre site for its new synagogue in March 2020 for $1.06 million, or $40 a square foot. Currently, it’s a fenced-off vacant lot where a house once stood.
The synagogue submitted its initial plans to the city early last month. The project has already raised about $2 million from family and friends of the congregation. It’s expected to cost somewhere north of $5 million in total, Abrahams said.
“The area that we’re in, it’s very residential … It’s very hard to find an existing commercial building that even if we put some money into it would be semi-suitable,” Abrahams said. “We did look over the years to buy a house and convert it; it just didn’t work for various reasons.”
The lot is close to a number of other key Denver Jewish institutions. Just to the south is the BMH-BJ Orthodox synagogue at 560 S. Monaco Street Parkway, whose roots date back over a century. To the northwest of the site at 399 S. Monaco Street Parkway is The Jewish Experience, a community and event space.
Kehilas is hoping to have its site fully permitted and ready for shovels to hit the dirt by the end of next summer, according to the congregation’s website.
Founding Rabbi Avraham Jacobs leads Kehilas Bais Yisroel. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Inside, there will be a large sanctuary for prayer and study, along with a social hall, kitchen, classrooms and an office. There will also be space for a playground and child center, along with storage and parking.
The synagogue was founded as a community congregation. It’s not affiliated with any national or umbrella organization. Founding Rabbi Avraham Jacobs, a Denver native, left town after elementary school, studying Torah and other Jewish texts in Wisconsin, Maryland and Israel. He came back to the city 16 years ago, teaching classes at Yeshiva Toras Chaim High School in Sloan’s Lake.
Later, some community members approached him, looking to start their own synagogue after their rabbi had left. He obliged, and since its inception, the synagogue has grown from around a dozen families to almost 60.
“I think there’s a camaraderie here, there’s a warm feeling of community. There’s a feeling that people care about each other,” Jacobs said.
The rabbi at Kehilas said he’s had his eye on the land since the inception of the synagogue.
“I wouldn’t say it fell into our lap,” said Jacobs. “We had inquired several times about that land and there were people living there and it wasn’t for sale. Eventually, they were interested in selling it. Again, we inquired – things didn’t work out. They took it off the market.”
“Eventually, they approached us again and said they were interested in selling and you know, with a lot of grace from God and help from God, it ended up working out.”
They own the land “free and clear,” with no outstanding loans, he said.
