Dec 01 2008
Sandbox Synagogue
Sandy Sanctuary
In Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, almost at the the crest of the hill sits a beautiful jewel of a worship center. It is hundreds of years old, full of carefully tended mahogany, and always endowed with a carpet of taupe-colored sand.
Historic synagogue in continuous use
The congregation Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim is better known as “the historic St. Thomas synagogue .” It is the only synagogue on the island. Founded in 1796, it provided a safe haven for worship for the Jewish families settling there. Although the current building was constructed in 1833, there never was a time since 1796 that the congregation dissipated or moved, no matter the government-du-jour. Therefore, since the synagogue is now in a United States territory, it holds the honor of being the oldest continually used synagogue under the U.S. flag.
But the sand?
If you are not right on a beach, can you imagine the central gathering room of a church or place of worship with - not a sprinkling - but a hefty, substantial, intentional layer of sand meant to be the floor covering? It is quite surprising, and, as an island synagogue, so fitting. The sandy floor is calm and quieting, in concert with Mother Nature, with the Gaiam of the Caribbean beaches. It feels absolutely welcoming to an island soul.
So responsive to the foot, the body, the being, this rolling sand on the floor greets the eyes like rolling waves of the sea. It is gentle, yet dynamic. It has a comfortable feeling. Nature. That of God’s world. And, it IS so quiet—which was probably the point. Anti-Semitism of the past may have led the congregants to muffle the sounds of their unique, non-Christian worship with a sand-covered floor. Another reason proferred is that the sand symbolizes the Egyptian desert crossed during the Exodus. Whatever the reasons, the sand is something to be experienced.
