4.5-mile walk proceded from the told temple to the new

Members of the Midbar Kodesh conservative Jewish synagogue carried their Torah on a 4.5-mile walk from their old temple to their new temple Sunday in Green Valley.

The congregation raised $2.3 million to build the new temple on land donated by American Nevada Corp. at 1940 Paseo Verde Drive.

The new 16,000-square-foot building will house eight classrooms for preschool, afternoon school and Sunday religious school, as well as a 50-seat chapel and 600-seat multipurpose room.

"We are very excited about the new temple," said Gerald Welt, president of Midbar Kodesh, which counts about 250 members. "We are a young and growing community and this will serve us well."

In conservative Judaism the Torah is sacred and must be treated respectfully in transport.

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