By Yuhan Zhao SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)—Last Sunday, around one-thousand members of the Jewish congregation voted overwhelmingly to approve the sale of Temple Concord. The 108-year-old synagogue is the oldest in Central New York and the ninth oldest in the United States. With a $9- million contract, the sale will allow the congregation to eliminate annual operating expenses as well as establish a new “21st century synagogue”. The old synagogue will be turned into luxury student apartments serving Syracuse University.
However, according to some students, this may not be a good decision. One S-U student said he will probably live in some place newer. Another student said the synagogue should have been kept in its original historical status, for it’s really old and symbolic to a lot of people around this area.
An S-U school worker who declined to give his name said the housing around campus is already overwhelming and the price is obviously too high.
“I think there is enough housing. I mean a lot of times the cost and price they’re charging to live in these apartments are pretty ridiculous. It’s comparable to living in downtown Boston. ”
According to Rabbi Daniel Fellman, the sale, if given the green light, will be finished “months away.”
