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Temple Beth Shalom To Honor Founder

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

dlwhite@tampatrib.com

Published: December 3, 2008

BRANDON - Congregation Beth Shalom will keep its name, but its temple and religious education facility at 706 Bryan Road will receive a new moniker.

In honor of the man who worked so hard to make Brandon's first Jewish temple a reality, the 150-member congregation will dedicate the Richard S. Glaser Center for Education & Religion during a community ceremony at 7:45 p.m. Friday.

Rabbi Betsy Torop said this is an opportunity to pay homage to the man credited with seeing that the fledgling congregation acquired property on Bryan Road and constructed a permanent home after meeting in temporary locations for several years.

The past president of Congregation Beth Shalom, Glaser died in August 2007.

"He really was the driving force behind raising the money and seeing that this building was constructed," Torop said. "Richard was a very proud and committed Reform Jew who took a very active interest in promoting the growth of the congregation. He had a very generous heart, and our community misses him deeply."
Glaser was among a group of congregation members who began looking for property to build a temple 10 years ago after the congregation had been meeting at a local church for a number of years.
Glaser wanted a site that was centrally located and large enough to accommodate multiple buildings and plenty of parking. Torop said that when he found the Bryan Road site, it seemed like a gift from heaven.

Shortly after acquiring the land, the congregation began its first building phase - a combination sanctuary, school and social hall.

"Richard felt very strongly that we had to have a permanent presence in the community," Torop said. "He felt that, as a congregation, we would always be limited until we had a building of our own. Our ultimate vision is to eventually have three buildings on this property."
Oak trees on the property that had to be cut down to make way for the building were used to make the bema, a fixture in synagogues from which selections are read from the Torah and the Haphtarah, a series of selections from the books of Prophets of the Hebrew Bible.

The temple was consecrated on the most important day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in fall 2000. The building now serves as a temple, meeting place, Sunday school and preschool run by the Jewish Community Center of Tampa.

"Congregation Beth Shalom is a small but vibrant congregation today because of the roadwork our early leaders laid so long ago," said congregation board member Ron Boyer. "But our building is here today because of Richard's vision."

Glaser's wife, Barbara, and their four children will be on hand for the ceremony to be conducted by Torop. The family will host an Oneg Shabbat, meaning Joy of Sabbath, an informal social meal, immediately following the dedication.

For information, contact the congregation at (813) 681-6547.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524.

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