California synagogue moves into new home after 9 years of struggle

On August 29, Congregation Kol Shofar of Tiburon, California, dedicated its new sanctuary after a 9-year struggle to build its new home. Kol Shofar, which means "Voice of the Ram's Horn" in Hebrew, is the only Conservative Jewish synagogue in Marin County, California.

In 2001, Kol Shofar began the design and planning process for a renovated synagogue building on its existing site, a former public middle school campus. By 2006, the synagogue had run into serious opposition from neighbors of the project and the Town of Tiburon Planning Commission, which turned down its permit application. Kol Shofar turned to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty for help. After the Becket Fund made clear that the Town faced a federal civil rights lawsuit under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act ("RLUIPA") if it did not allow Kol Shofar to build its new sanctuary, the Town Council overruled the Tiburon Planning Commission in February 2007 and allowed building to proceed.

The fight did not end there. Neighbors of the synagogue sued in California state court to stop the building project. The Becket Fund was part of the legal team that then defeated the lawsuit and following appeal.

"We couldn't be happier for Congregation Kol Shofar and congratulate them on their inspiring new sanctuary," said Eric Rassbach, National Litigation Director for the Becket Fund, who represented Congregation Kol Shofar and was in attendance at the dedication ceremony. "This is why the Becket Fund defends religious liberty for everyone--the fabric of freedom is made up of thousands of Kol Shofars across the country who all need to be protected equally under law. The many Shabbat services, bar mitzvahs, marriages, and other community events that will be celebrated here over the coming years will be proof of the continuing importance of religious people and institutions in our public life."

The dedication ceremony drew hundreds of congregants and well-wishers from Tiburon and from the wider San Francisco Bay Area Jewish community. The dedication capped off a three-day celebration that began with a Friday procession of the Torah scrolls from the Congregation's temporary home at a nearby church and their installation into the new sanctuary. The next day saw the first bar mitzvah in the new sanctuary, as well as the first Sabbath services. The Congregation publicly thanked the Becket Fund at the dedication ceremony.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is a non-profit public interest law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.