Sacred Places Summer 2009 | Page 17

• Wooden elements, including the doors, benches, wainscot, Bima, Reader’s Desk and Torah Ark were gently cleaned and conserved to preserve their original finishes. A craftsman works on hanging light fixtures for the restored synagogue During the fundraising phase, the Committee reached out to the descendents of Alfred Fleisher and volunteers’ families to introduce them to the project. Their major donations, as well as hundreds of other gifts, supported the repair of the building envelope and made the restoration of the interior possible. Milner + Carr Conservation (MCC) performed the interior conservation and restoration of the Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue during 2008. Two of the conservators on the team had been among the students who conducted the primary research and conservation assessment years earlier. The project concentrated on restoring the synagogue to its circa-1960 appearance. This period of significance was chosen because