April 12, 2010
Dear Fellow Congregants:
It is our pleasure to inform you that Temple Beth Torah has negotiated with Jewish Federation of Rockland County for the purchase of a TBT Burial Section in Riverside Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery located in nearby Saddle Brook, New Jersey. Encompassing 331 gravesites, this proposed transaction represents the culmination of many months of extensive research and deliberation by the Cemetery Committee and your Board of Trustees, and will, if successful, satisfy the spiritual needs of many congregants who have expressed repeated interest in the acquisition of a Congregational burial section. Moreover, because the proposed sale prices described below are, in our view, highly competitive given the factors researched by the Committee (e.g., proximity to TBT, a Jewish cemetery whose rules/regulations closely resemble TBT's principles, number of available graves, costs to TBT, etc.), interested congregants will benefit from these highly competitive prices while simultaneously providing TBT with the ability to acquire a section we can call our own.
Importantly, no TBT funds will be spent on the purchase of these graves. Rather, Federation has generously agreed to permit TBT to conduct this pre-closing sales drive in order to raise sufficient funds to complete the purchase. If sufficient funds are raised by selling a required minimum number of graves in the next few weeks -- as we hope they will be -- the proposed transaction will be presented to the Congregation for its approval at the Annual Meeting on June 14th (if approved, a formal closing would likely take place during the summer). If we do not sell a minimum number of graves, TBT would not be obligated to proceed and all funds collected from interested congregants would be returned.
If the transaction is consummated, the Board of Trustees will establish a permanent Cemetery Committee, which will be governed by an established set of Rules and Regulations (By-Laws). Those By-Laws also will govern the rights of all grave owners and the conduct and operation of the burial section. It is therefore extremely important that any interested congregant read the By-Laws in their entirety before subscribing for the purchase of graves.
For your convenience, we have included with this letter a Brochure detailing the key elements of the By-Laws and other relevant information. The Brochure's reverse side contains a map of the proposed burial section, which is color coded to highlight the relevant graves and their prices: (Orange - $900; Yellow - $800; Blue - $750). The Green shaded area represents the future site of a monument or other structure marking the Temple Beth Torah Burial Section.
If you would like more detailed information, see the other links on this page. If you have questions, or would like to receive copies of the additional materials by mail, please contact our Temple Administrator, Miranda Escobar, at (845) 358-2248.
You are welcome to visit Riverside Cemetery and inspect the grounds at your convenience (Hours of Operation: Grounds: Sunday - Friday (8:00am-6:00pm); Office: Monday - Friday (8:00am - 4:00pm); Sunday: (8:00am - 1:00pm)).
Finally, please complete the accompanying form and enclose a check made payable to “Temple Beth Torah” (indicate "Cemetery Purchase" in the lower left corner of the check). Specific graves will be designated on a first-come first-serve basis. In fairness to other interested Congregants, please understand that we cannot hold graves in reserve until we receive payment.
We are looking forward to a successful completion of this important initiative. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.
L’shalom,
The Cemetery Committee
Scott Esbin (Chair)
Keven Peck
Jeri Newman
Rob Bookman
