DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

As I write this Iowa is once again recovering from some devasting storms. Several of my family members were affected by the tornados that struck Nebraska and Iowa. One of my cousins shared with us a video of her neighborhood. It was hard to watch the damage this storm caused in her community and all throughout our two states.

Thankfully, the recent tornados did not strike Des Moines or cause any damage to the Temple, but here at the Temple we have had plenty of building maintenance due to other weather events.

Last summer, our 40-ton air conditioner, that cools the sanctuary, went out. I am very happy to report that that we were able to replace it, and we tested it out to make sure everything was working prior to Passover. It’s spring in Iowa so we didn’t know if we would have a snowstorm or a heatwave.

Winter was no exception to the crazy weather we have been having. As you may recall we received about all the prior year’s snowfall over the course of 10 days. This meant that many of our roofs had about two feet of snow and ice on them. We weren’t able to assess the full extent of the damage to our roofs until this spring. Unfortunately, serval of our roofs were severely damaged and will need to be replaced this summer. The roof over our elevator requires complete replacement, as well as a few of the roofs surrounding the dome, and we will do some repair work to the dome while we have a crew up there.

These repairs will cost around $60,000 and we budget for their replacement next fiscal year. That said, it is more important than ever that you continue to support the Temple and fufill your annual commitment for this fiscal year and the next. Maintaining our sanctuary so that will be a place for bar/bat mitzvahs, for weddings, funerals, and everything in-between will always be a priority for our Temple, and we can only do that with your support. As you receive your next statement from the Temple, we will once again ask you to look at your situation and decide what you can give to the Temple so that it can be a place of worship and life from one generation to the next.

David Muenchrath

Executive Director