Despite slings and arrows, Conservative Netivot Shalom builds its dream home

You could call it a "born-again temple."

The edifice once housing Jay Vee Liquors, a fortified emporium of booze that no customer ever walked away from in a straight line, is now the first permanent home of Berkeley's Conservative Congregation Netivot Shalom.

And, after only five years of weathering the worst the Bay Area real estate market has to offer, Netivot Shalom's congregants can be forgiven if they feel like they need a drink.

"How do I feel now that it's done? A large part of me is damn relieved," said Michael Irwin, who co-founded the congregation around his kitchen table 16 years ago and has co-chaired the building committee for nearly that entire stretch.

"The feeling is, 'It's ours now.' We can create a whole new life here. We don't have to worry about escalating rents. It's much the same as what happens when you've been renting an apartment and then you buy your first house."

While there are no amusement parks within Berkeley city limits, the transformation of Jay Vee Liquors to Congregation Netivot Shalom has been a roller-coaster ride for those involved.

The congregation bid more than $2 million for the liquor store's creaky edifice on University Avenue in late 2000, finalizing the deal in early 2001. Construction bids for the original plans came in appallingly high, so the temple opted to scale back its plans. By that time, however, steel and building costs had skyrocketed, and many of Netivot's congregants were simultaneously feeling the pinch of the dot-com bust.

On more than one occasion, the entire congregation was asked to vote on whether to continue developing the site or cut its losses and sell the land. And, each time, Netivot Shalom overwhelmingly voted to stay the course and build a home.

In addition to the roughly $2 million for the building and site, the congregation has since spent at least $4 million, not including finance charges.

"We went slowly, but we actually are going to see the light at the end of the tunnel, which is amazing," said Pauline Moreno, who was the congregation's president at the time of its initial purchase.

Netivot Shalom — which held services at the Berkeley-Richmond JCC and had administrative offices on Berkeley Way — is gradually moving into its new home this month. On Sunday, May 22, it had a "kitchen shower," as the congregation's hand-me-down pots and pans were officially replaced with new items.

Rabbi Stuart Kelman and the congregation will walk the Torah to the University Avenue site Friday, June 3. Mezuzot will be affixed to the doors and the new home will be consecrated with a feast and Shabbat services.

"It's a beautiful building and a real home," said Joe Meresman, the congregation's project chair.

"It's a home designed for us as opposed to just a space that we're in."