320 Names on the Wall: Former Members Work to Bring Synagogue Memorial Plaques Home

Some acts of love are quiet, slow, and done with a screwdriver. According to the report, two men in their eighties have spent recent weeks standing on pews in a dimly lit sanctuary, removing memorial plaques so the families of the departed can have them.

A childhood synagogue, a new chapter

The report says Fred Smith and Richard Baum celebrated their bar mitzvahs more than 70 years ago at the Kingsbridge Center of Israel, at 3115 Corlear Ave. The synagogue closed several years ago. Grace Tabernacle, a new bilingual Christian church, bought the building in May.

Smith stopped by while construction was underway, remembering that his own family's plaques hung on the sanctuary wall. The idea took shape, and he brought Baum in. According to the report, Smith is 83 and Baum is 82. Smith wears a headlamp as they work, and the two have been carefully boxing up each plaque.

What the plaques say

The plaques are described as brown metal with gold lettering. Each carries a congregant's name and date of death in both English and Hebrew. Small bulbs beside them gave off a soft orange glow. They were lit each year on the person's death anniversary, along with a prayer.

The men have counted 320 plaques and entered the names and details into a spreadsheet to share with the community. According to the report, the dates run from 1899 to the 1970s, with one from 2020. Some older plaques appear to be missing. Baum said he cannot find his father's, and another former member, Gary Dombroff, said he has not seen his parents'.

A church that chose to help

The report says Grace Tabernacle's pastor, Kerlin Calderon, agreed to the plan. He said he thought of the objects from his own childhood church that carry fond memories for him. He said it feels special to honor the history that came before the church. Others who once belonged to the congregation have also come back to the building, he said.

Smith and Baum are coordinating with Rabbi Bini Krauss of Salanter Akiba Riverdale. He said he is working with a local synagogue to find a place to store the plaques while relatives are located.

Why names matter

Dombroff said the plaques are not holy objects. They are a reminder of cultural practices and a way to memorialize loved ones so their names are not forgotten. In his words, it is a "permanence beyond a grave marker."

That instinct runs deep in Scripture. The Hebrew Bible treats a remembered name as a blessing and a forgotten one as a loss.

The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

Proverbs 10:7 (BSB)

There is gentle beauty in a pastor and two former congregants cooperating to protect these names, and in a rabbi helping them. Nobody in the story is trying to erase anyone. They are trying to hand each name back to the family it belongs to.

Remembrance and hope

For those of us who follow Yeshua, remembrance carries hope as well as sorrow. God is real, and He does not lose track of a single person. The Messiah spoke directly to grief at the tomb of a friend.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.

John 11:25 (BSB)

A metal plaque can be unscrewed, boxed, and moved. The people it honors are known to God in a way no wall can match. Still, it is good and human to care for what families have treasured, and to keep a name close for the children and grandchildren who may come looking.

If you or your family once belonged to the Kingsbridge Center of Israel, the report says Smith and Baum are working to return these plaques to family members. Check the original article for the latest on how the effort is proceeding.