Temple Beth Sholom Looking to Sell Building, Property

is considering putting its building and property up for sale with hopes to move to a smaller location.

Vice President for Ways and Means at the temple Rhonda Cooper said the space in the building is no longer needed after a caterer that also occupied the building left last year. The temple now houses a large, unused catering hall.

However the place of worship is not closing.

"We're still in business, still have services every Friday night, every Saturday morning, we have an operational religious school, we have bar mitzvahs coming up for the children, we have a fundraiser coming up in March,” she said. 

Cooper said the temple would like to remain in Smithtown and if a circumstance arises that could keep them in the current location they would consider it.

She also labeled the current situation at the temple as “extremely difficult” but said the building couldn’t stop the community from moving on.

"The temple is a building, the congregation is what constitutes the community and that's what is important,” she said. “Yes, there's things inside the building that's important ... [but] the congregation is still a community.”