It was noon, on November 13, and Rebbetzin Malka Faiga Taub was sitting at her kitchen window waiting eagerly for the construction workers to put up the last truss on Congregation Arugas Habosem. The shul – founded by her father-in-law, Rabbi Amram Taub, the Brider Rebbe, zt”l, in 1951 – is clearly visible from her house on Park Heights Avenue.
“All of a sudden I heard a bang,” recalls Rebbetzin Taub. “My husband came running in to tell me that the roof caved in. We were shaking.”
Three construction workers were trapped under the rubble. Fortunately, someone heard them yelling for help and called 911. Within minutes, the police, the fire department, and the media were on the scene. The workers were transported to the hospital: one with a broken leg and the other two with minor injuries.
This was actually the shul building’s second construction setback. The roof of the building collapsed for the first time on August 29, leaving most of the building in shambles. Thankfully, the building was empty at the time. A contractor working on the mikvah construction alerted the Taubs to a problem with the roof about a year ago. The Taubs received engineering reports and estimates for the repair. When it was concluded that the roof was beyond repair, they filed an insurance claim, which was accepted. The insurance company’s offer was far short of the real cost of replacement, however, and the long, drawn out negotiation process began. In the meantime, heavy summer rains continued to weaken the roof, which led to its collapse.
Construction of the second roof started as soon as the walls were reconstructed and the trusses were delivered. “When it was almost finished, one of the trusses snapped, and the whole thing caved in,” explains Rebbetzin Taub. “The pressure of it ripped out the back cinderblock wall. This is a very heavy setback for us. We don’t know when the insurance money is coming through. Nonetheless, we are trying to go ahead with the construction.” They have to wait, however, until the cause of the collapse is determined.
The Mikvah Is Unscathed
The crown jewel of Congregation Arugas Habosem’s construction on 3509 Clark’s Lane will be the new, state-of-the-art mikvah; the boros (water pits) were poured before Pesach. It will replace the shul’s current dilapidated mikvah, which is over 45 years old. Remarkably, during both roof collapses, the mikvah portion remained untouched. “It seems as if there was a hand there that didn’t let it fall!” said Harav Shaya Taub, Harav Amram’s son and successor. “Only the beis midrash part, which measures 5,000 square feet, was ruined.”
The construction of the mikvah is particularly significant for the Taubs. They shared with me a particular incident that inspired Harav Amram to devote his life to kedushah vetaharah, and inspired them to continue his legacy.
Once, while working in a concentration camp during the Holocaust, Harav Taub was helping to build a bridge over a river. A pole fell into the freezing cold water, and the Nazi guard demanded that someone volunteer to retrieve the pole. If no one would volunteer, he threatened to assign the task to someone. Rav Taub turned to those around him and said, “Rabosai, let’s go take a toivel!” In his mind, he was entering the river only to toivel. He said to himself, “If I come out alive, my goal will be mikvah and taharah. Much to the surprise of the guard, several of his fellow inmates followed him into the frigid water and retrieved the pole.
The Taubs feel that their mikvah can’t be built soon enough, especially in light of our community’s significant, steady growth. There are only three men’s mikva’os in town: Machzikei Torah and the Glen Avenue shul house the others. In addition to the men’s mikvah, the new building will house a women’s mikvah for Shabbos and Yom Tov and also an indoor, climate-controlled and counter-height keilim mikvah.
A Pillar of Baltimore
Congregation Arugas Habosem, presently under the leadership of Harav Shaya Taub, shlit”a, is a mainstay of the Baltimore community. The congregants are a mix of longtime Arugas Habasom goers and more recent newcomers. In addition to its 9 a.m. Shabbos Shacharis minyan, it hosts two Shacharis weekday minyanim, at 6:20 and 7:20 a.m., and two Sunday Shacharis minyanim at 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. It also has two Maariv minyanim, one right after Mincha and one at 9 p.m., as well as a morning and evening Kollel.
Due to the construction of a beautiful new mikvah in the front section of the shul building, davening services are being held in the little shul on Park Heights Avenue, next door to the Taubs’ home. The mikvah it houses is being used until the new one is completed.
“We stayed here to continue my father-in-law’s legacy of over 55 years,” concludes Rebbetzin Taub. “The Satmar Rebbe, zt”l, sent him to Baltimore in 1951, and when he came here he built – in each of the three locations where he owned a house – a shul, a mikvah, and a matzah oven. Holocaust survivors took upon themselves specific things during the war, if they would come out alive. My mother took upon herself a commitment to chevra kadisha and bikur cholim; my father-in-law took mikvah upon himself.”
Rabbi and Rebbetzin Taub – and the entire congregation – are looking forward eagerly to a beautiful and functional rebuilt shul.
