Timeline of Recent Events 2016 - present

September 2016: The Rubin Family (Kathryn Rubin, 93, and her two sons, Ron Rubin of Colorado Springs and Randy Rubin of Raton, NM), who had been the caretakers of the Temple for 30 years, make the painful decision to close the Temple just before the High Holidays. For the first time since 1883, no services are conducted in Trinidad. Building is put up for sale. Closure is the subject of a front-page article in the Denver Post. The building needs significant and costly repairs.

October 2016: David London, a Jewish attorney in Boulder with a strong interest in Jewish history who had only seen the outside of the Temple once, sees a copy of the Denver Post article (his aunt cut it out of the paper and sent it to him). London wonders if anything can be done and contacts Randy Rubin.

End of 2016/Early 2017: London contacts B’nai B’rith of The Rockies to gauge interest. A few meetings are held. Through these contacts London meets Neal Paul, B'nai B'rith Director and Israeli born to two Survivors, who is immediately interested. Efforts through B’nai B’rith ultimately go nowhere, but a de facto working group of London, Paul and the Rubins is established. Building is taken off the market, with the group determined to save the Temple.

February 2017: Temple Aaron is placed on Colorado’s Most Endangered Places List by Colorado Preservation, Inc. (“CPI”) in an effort to raise awareness about the threat to the Temple and its historically and architecturally significant building. CPI is the entity that holds a historic preservation easement on the building,

April 2017: A Seder is held at the Temple and attended by approximately 25 people, proving continued interest in saving the building. Rabbi Eliot Baskin of Denver officiates.

July 2017: London donates $5000 as funds grow dangerously short. Awareness efforts continue. Under London’s legal auspices, a new Colorado non-profit corporation named Temple Aaron of Trinidad, Colorado (“TATC”) is formed for purposes of owning and operating the building and taking over fiscal responsibilities from the Freudenthal Foundation (“FF”) once it achieves federal 501(c)(3) status.

October 2017: A Sukkot function is held and attended by approximately 15 people. Perry Bach, a Jewish historian based in Colorado Springs, gives a talk.

November 2017: With the assistance of the local title company, title is formally transferred to TATC from the 19th century unincorporated “Congregation Aaron.” 

December 2017:  Paul reaches out to Larry Mizel, a local Jewish real estate developer and philanthropist.  Mizel issues a challenge grant in which he will donate $10,000 if Temple Aaron fundraising meets a goal of $35,000.

January 2018: Fundraising kicks into high gear. A gofundme page and a website at templeaaron.org are established. Many generous donations are received during the next number of months.

April 2018: The second annual Seder is held and over 30 people attend. Rabbi and Nuclear Physicist Jack Shlachter of Los Alamos, NM officiates.

May 2018: The initial fundraising goal is met and Mizel donates the promised $10,000. Funds are above emergency status for the first time in many years. In an event co-sponsored by the University of Colorado and others, CU Professor Janet Jacobs gives a talk on Crypto-Judaism attended by over 40 people. This is first event held in the temple’s sanctuary in many years. Kathryn Rubin passes away at the age of 95.

July 2018: Paul contacts Phil Goodstein, PhD, known author and historian and organizes a bus tour of Synagogues and important Jewish buildings in Denver (including the Golda Maier house @ Auraria), which is attended by over 50 people.  More than $1,000.00 is raised.

September 2018: London, Paul, and Kim Grant of Colorado Preservation Inc. formally join the Board of Directors of TATC, forming a five-member board with Ron and Randy Rubin. Dana Crawford, known Preservationist, organizes her Club 190 to visit Trinidad and Temple Aaron. With over 50 in attendance, Crawford speaks of the importance of historic preservation, heritage, and the future. Trinidad’s Mayor Phil Rico attends. Rosh Hashanah services (Sunday evening and Monday morning) are once again held at the Temple, continuing a tradition that began in 1883, after a two-year hiatus. Rabbi Lewis “Buz” Bogage officiates and over 40 people attend.

October 2018: An architect’s and engineers report to formally assess the building’s condition is commissioned. It is paid for by a $10,000 grant by the City of Trinidad. Drone photography is taken of the roof. An all-day planning retreat is held and attended by the entire board and other key supporters.

Year End 2018: Approximately $75,000 has been raised or donated in cash or via in-kind since July 2017.

2019:  With the support of CPI and the National Park Service, Temple Aaron begins applying for National Landmark Status. A State Historical Fund grant application was submitted on April 1, 2019 for priority repairs and restoration. The Seder (in April) sells out at its maximum capacity of forty people. Temple Aaron celebrates its 130th Anniversary with a momentous three-day gala celebration in June, and TATC also participates in the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies annual conference in Denver. TATC receives its 501(c)(3)  designation from the IRS, and the Freudenthal Foundation is dissolved. All Temple fiscal and other activities are now conducted under the auspices of TATC.

2020: A challenging year, but not without its bright spots. Most in-person activities were cancelled, but in-person, socially distanced Rosh Hashanah services were held. Temple Aaron joined the Zoom movement by live-streaming those services and conducting virtual events including a screening of Children of the Inquisition. TATC ended the year on very bright notes with Rabbi Dr. Rob Lennick agreeing to serve as the temple's rabbi, and with receipt of two important grants. The year closes with launching of the temple's 100x6 campaign to raise $100,000 in six months. More here about all the latest initiatives.

2021: With in-person events largely sidelined, Rabbi Lennick began holding monthly Torah Study sessions and Shabbat gatherings online via Zoom. A new membership campaign was launched, as was a campaign to raise funds for a new boiler in order to restore heat to the temple. The first Bar Mitzvah in decades took place in May 2021, and the first wedding in over 10 years was held at the temple in September. The boiler campaign met its goal and work to replace it begin in November. Also in 2021, emergency roof repairs were completed with grant funding from the State Historical Fund and matching donations to Temple Aaron.

2022: Kim Grant joins the Temple Aaron board of directors. A board retreat is held at the temple for long-term planning purposes. The final draft of the National Historic Landmark (NHL) nomination for Temple Aaron was submitted to the National Park Service for consideration. Many tours of the temple are held throughout the year, including visiting students from the Architecture and Historic Preservation program at the University of Colorado-Denver. Aaron receives significant publicity for its preservation efforts from Colorado Public Radio and the Intermountain Jewish News.

2023: Temple Aaron turned 140 years old on July 23, 2023. Temple Aaron was unanimously

approved as Colorado’s 27th National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the

Interior! Over two dozen tours of the temple were held throughout the year, including

teens from Camp Ramah of the Rockies. In person services included a Pesach Seder

with Rabbi Jack Shlachter of Los Alamos and Hanukkah services led by Rabbi Emeritus

Steven Foster of Denver. Gold and silver commemorative coins were designed and minted as a fundraiser to benefit the temple. The City of Trinidad passed a resolution commemorating “Temple Aaron Day” in December. Temple Aaron participated for the first time in Colorado Gives Day and raised over $30,000 for the roof project and other needs.

2024: Over 200 attendees attended a daylong celebration of the temple’s National Historic Landmark dedication, highlighted by national, state, and local speakers and a Purim party featuring dancing at the Trinidad Lounge. Temple Aaron receives the Endangered Places Program Progress Award from Colorado Preservation, Inc. The temple engaged AC Cutler to help plan the NHL celebration and begin development of regular programming in Trinidad at the temple. Temple Aaron received a $237,714 History Colorado State Historical Fund Grant for replacement of the original 135-year-old plus pressed metal roof. A fundraising campaign to raise $79,238 in matching funds for the roof project is begun, and Trinidad Construction Group is hired as the general contractor. Kim Grant presented at the annual New Mexico Jewish Historical Society conference in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The first Sukkoth services in memory are held, led by Rabbi Joe Charnes and AC Cutler. Rabbi Charnes remains engaged on a regular basis to lead services and help with on-lineprograms for the temple.

2025: AC Cutler joins the Temple Aaron Board of Directors. A weekend program in honor of the late Dana Crawford is organized and held in Trinidad, including a well-attended memorial service at the temple. More than 50 members of the joint sisterhoods of Temple Emanuel and Temple Sinai toured the temple and held Shabbat services as part of an overnight tour of Trinidad. Another large group from the Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society and Beck Archives at Denver University spent a weekend in Trinidad, with tours of the Jewish Cemetery and Temple Aaron. Masonry and cornice repairs began as plans are finalized for the roof replacement. Meanwhile, emergency reinforcement of the historic stone retaining wall (bordering the east and north sides of the property) was performed.