By November 2019, the reality of the situation was clear.
“Thankfully we had a wonderful High Holy Day season in our sanctuary. However, as the old yiddish phrase says: Man plans and God laughs,” the rabbi at the time wrote in the weekly newsletter. “After consultation with the structural engineers and in the interest of safety, the board of directors made the difficult decision to vacate the premises immediately.”
With that, Chattanooga’s 133-year-old B’nai Zion Congregation began cycling its weekly services to wherever they could be held – the local Jewish federation, the rabbi’s home.
About four months later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Services went online. A few months after that, their rabbi took a new position in British Columbia.
Today, the perimeter of B’nai Zion’s building on McBrien Road is sectioned off with an orange safety fence. Items to be moved or otherwise organized are stacked near an entrance. Caution tape hangs from railings in the sanctuary and, nearby, cracks along the walls are visible to the naked eye.