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The roof and electrical work taking place at the United Synagogue of Hoboken address safety concerns, and adding air conditioning is a matter of comfort. But the overall restoration of the building carries a much deeper purpose: to maintain the authenticity and functionality of what is arguably Hudson County's most significant Jewish landmark.

The synagogue received a $280,000 grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust in 2006 for part of the $2.3 million cost of renovating the "Star of Israel" sanctuary, which has also been placed on the New Jersey and the National Registers of Historic Places. The Star of Israel has been a cornerstone for Hoboken's Jewish community since 1915, and once this project is complete, synagogue officials hope the building can continue to serve that fast-growing community for at least another century.

"The Star of Israel is among the very few buildings of that vintage that have been continually in use as a synagogue since construction in New Jersey," said USH president Ken Schept, explaining that similar synagogues in Essex and Bergen counties have been converted to other houses of worship or condominium complexes.

A real estate consultant recommended selling the Star of Israel in the 1970s while the growth of Hoboken's Jewish community was at a standstill, but members decided not to. Now, USH has 270 families, an increase of at least 100 over the last 10 years, in addition to a pre-school and a learning center with more than 100 participants apiece. Schept attributes the synagogue's growth to Rabbi Robert Scheinberg's ability to connect with the community's primary demographic: young families whose parents are in their 30s and 40s.

Hoboken's proximity to New York City, as well as the mile-square city's vibrant waterfront lifestyle and nightlife options, has also attracted an influx of residents in their 20s who went on to join the Conservative synagogue.

"Somebody must have said 'Someday young Jews will move back to Hoboken,' and that's what happened," Scheinberg said of the decision not to sell the Star of Israel.

The synagogue's staying power and the need to renovate the Star of Israel to accommodate a growing congregation were major parts of USH's pitch for securing the grant from New Jersey, Schept said. USH also argued that the synagogue's unique European-style features such as two copper onion domes on the roof, as well as the fact that it was built by noted Hudson County architect Max Deyer, made the building worthy of landmark status.

The $280,000 grant can only be used on parts of the building that can be seen from the exterior, such as the onion domes and the synagogue's stained-glass windows.

For other aspects of the construction, USH has received $1 million in pledges from members and a grant of $450,000 through the Kaplan Family Foundation (the primary donors for USH's learning center and pre-school).

USH held a kickoff party for construction this past September, and the actual labor began in November, but the Star of Israel's restoration has been in the works for much longer. According to Russell Kriegel, a Port Authority architect and USH trustee, the synagogue began the process late in 2004 by hiring a mechanical engineer, a preservationist to examine layers of paint in the building, and a lighting designer.

Kriegel then solicited proposals for a design competition in which prospective architects had to submit a book and an oral presentation. Architect Alexander Gorlin won with a plan that added the necessary amenities for the synagogue but at the same time preserved the building's historic detail.

"He's got good Jewish knowledge and his plan was very impressive," Kriegel said of Gorlin. "It was a no-brainer to pick him."

After MLB Construction Services put forth the winning bid among five contractors for the project, the synagogue began to raise money in for the project in 2005. Construction was delayed because the city of Hoboken revised its plan for several aspects of the building, such as the fire alarm system, Kriegel said.

"Now we are excited to be in the act of getting it to happen," Scheinberg said.

The restoration includes installing new wiring throughout the building and increasing electrical capacity to 800 amperes, making sure the roof structure is water-tight before adding a new roof, placing steel beams on the roof to support air conditioning units, and replacing masonry on the roof's parapets. Old light fixtures will be replaced, and air conditioning will be installed much later on in the process. From a cosmetic standpoint, the onion domes and stained-glass windows will both be refurbished.

In order to minimize the disruption of synagogue life, workers have been finishing their weekly tasks in time to halt construction for each Shabbat. Instead of ordinary scaffolding in the Star of Israel that would have prevented members from praying there, a temporary plywood platform extends over the main floor of the sanctuary from balcony to balcony so workers can reach the building's wiring from the ceiling and close off construction from the rest of the synagogue.

"The contractors are being amazing about conducting this project while this is a living community here," Scheinberg said.

Services were held for a brief period in the building's social hall but are now conducted regularly in the Star of Israel despite the ongoing project, while the learning center has operated in two classroom trailers in the building's driveway during the restoration. The roof and electrical work should be done by next spring, Kriegel said.

The synagogue has re-launched its campaign to raise the balance of the $2.3 estimate for construction costs, according to Schept, who is in his fourth year leading the Board of Trustees and joined USH in the 1980s. Fund-raising would seem to be a difficult task during the current economic downturn, but Schept was confident that the members who have kept USH strong for so long would continue to do so even during these tough times.

"This was a synagogue that was protected by its members regardless of economic conditions," Schept said. "People don't have to write a check today -- we are asking for a long-term commitment. We think the people in this community are the types who are eager to support the community in that way."