The following was written by Michael Orbach for The Jewish Star: Construction on three shuls in Cedarhurst is expected be complete by the end of this year. Listed in ascending order of the length of time each project has taken thus far, they are The Chofetz Chaim Torah Center, Kehillas Bais Yehuda Tzvi, known as the Red Shul, and Agudath Israel of the Five Towns.

The Chofetz Chaim Torah Center, at 7 Derby Lane,  opened its doors in 2001. Construction on the shul, affectionately known to some as the Blue Shul for its exterior, began in June and will be finished in January.

“We were packed on Shabbos like every other shul,” explained Avi Dreifus, the shul’s unofficial president. “There were no more seats and no room for the women; we couldn’t even have a normal kiddush.”

Construction was fairly quick since the existing shul remained largely intact, Dreifus explained. By digging up a parking lot in the back and extending the balcony the structure was enlarged.

The shul worked to ease neighbors’ concerns, Dreifus said, including keeping the shul’s nursery across the street on West Broadway, putting up a proper fence, and installing a new driveway.

While the initial funding is in place, Dreifus noted that there are worries about how the shul will recover the costs.

“It’s pretty much done except for the paint and the flooring. We’ve got the money for the first year, but the real question is 2010 and 2011; will we get it?”

Kehillas Beis Yehuda Tzvi at 395 Oakland Avenue, widely known as the “Red Shul,” has been in renovation for the last two years, since the original red barn-like building, designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, was knocked down to make way for the new shul. The congregation has been meeting in a house next door.

The new building’s exterior will be of red brick, though it’s  “more brownish actually,” said Dave Elephant of Mitman Electrical Construction, who is directing the project. The new two-story, 2500 square-foot shul will have a ballroom in the basement, according to Aharon Blumenkrantz, a consultant for Mitman. The men’s section will be on the main floor; the womens’ will be situated on the second floor on a balcony shaped like the Hebrew letter “ches.” The building will feature a skylight.

The Agudah of the Five Towns has waited the longest of the three for its new home. According to Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Frankel, plans for the construction of a new building began when the shul opened eleven years ago. Five years ago the original building was knocked down, but difficulties in getting a mortgage for the new construction forced the minyan to daven in a trailer for the last several years.

A mortgage from Bank of America came through last year and construction began around Passover.

“The Almighty has plans and we don’t question those plans; whenever he decides its time to be it’s time to be,” said Rabbi Frankel.

The exterior of the building will be a combination of brick and brown stucco; one side of the shul is already complete. The sanctuary will be up one flight, on the second floor; the main floor will be a ballroom. Due to safety considerations the entrance will be into a plaza, not onto Peninsula, Rabbi Frankel said. He had praise for the Bank of America and for Jason Teramo of JCJ construction.

“He’s a tremendous fellow,” Rabbi Frankel said of Teramo. “He has been extraordinarily cooperative in waiting for this to happen. He takes a very positive interest in making sure everything is perfect.”

While there is no final date yet, Rabbi Frankel hopes the building will be complete by Pesach.

Cedarhurst Mayor Anthony Parisi said he sees the construction as part of the general response to the influx of Orthodox families into the neighborhood, though the increase has “leveled off a little bit,” he added.

“It’s not growing so fast anymore. I guess it’s the economy too. I don’t know if they’re moving that fast anymore, but we have a good mix now,” he said.

He said the biggest problem is weekend parking. “We try to get [congregations] to respect their neighbors [but] we haven’t had too many complaints. In fact, we seldom get any complaints anymore.”

(LINK to The Jewish Star)