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NOT TO BE TAKEN August 31, 1990 — ME REVIEW - A t-HUNI LIBRART Edison temple to celebrate 30th anniversary in 1991 ■ C/4lcAnEdison Ti«r\ Twp. Pllh Pub. I LibraryihfAfV ^ Edison Twp. Pub. Library 340 Plainiisld Ave. Edison, N.J. 08817 340 Plaimield Ave. Before present synagogue was built, on. N.J. 08817 congregation met in church building By David C. Sheehan went from a handful of pro­ grew from 75 to more than 175 EDISON — There is a verse spective members to a congre­ families, and Fellowship Hall in the Book of Exodus which gation with hill High Holiday became inadequate to serve reads, “and let them make me services. the needs of Temple Emanu- a sanctuary that I may dwell St Stephen’s Evangelical El. among them.” Lutheran Church in the Clara Thus, the congregation pur­ To many Edison residents, Barton section of the township chased the now-unused St this was something more than made its Fellowship Hall Stephen’s Lutheran Church. a passage from the Old Testa­ available to Temple Emanu-El St Stephen’s, too, had out­ ment It posed a challenge and for its services and, thus, on grown its Pleasant Avenue an opportunity to form Edi­ August 25, 1961, Temple Em­ building and built its current son’s first Reform synagogue. anu-El held its first service. church building near Grand­ —Photo by Thomas R. DeCaro This challenge was taken up view Avenue. by seven area families who In attendance were the Rev. Construction of Temple Emanu-El, located on James Street across from John F. Kennedy In 1963, Rabbi Paul Leve- were discouraged that the rap­ K Kirkegaard Jensen, pastor Medical Center, began in 1968, but the Edison congregation was formed seven years earlier by nson assumed the duties of idly growing community of of St Stephen’s, and the late fUll-time rabbi, and in 1964, seven local families. Edison had no Reform congre­ Mayor Anthony Yelencsics, William Rabin became presi­ gation or temple. who welcomed the new con­ text of the Torah must be let­ nex was completed at the gregation to Edison. Later, in dent of the congregation World War II and were, for In early 1961, Rabbi Albert more than 20 years, hidden ter-perfect A Torah with two James Street site. 1962, the mayor and his wife Baum of the New Congrega­ In 1966, Rabbi Abraham and forgotten in a Nazi “mu­ scribbal errors may not be Temple Emanu-El, from its presented the temple with a tions Department of the Union Sheingold assumed the pulpit, used in worship,” the report start, has been an active, con­ gift o f rirrumim — silver Torah seum” in Prague, Czech­ of American Hebrew Congre­ and Roy Kem, the presidency. concludes. tributing member of the Edi­ crowns. oslovakia. According to pub­ gations met with local families It also was in that year that an lished reports, “When the The James Street synagogue son Township community. at the Edison home of Mr. and After the first service, oneg architect was retained, con­ Nazis marched across Europe is a contemporary structure Temple Seders have been Mrs. Marvin Rosmarin. shabbat, a sabbath reception, tracts were signed and slightly in World War II, they burned composed of natural, exposed held for residents of Wood- Records show that “represen­ was sponsored and hosted by more than 4 acres of land was synagogues along their way cedar and block. The interior bridge State School, and the purchased from Edison Town­ tatives of the families of Neal the Rosmarins. A new congre­ and destroyed and desecrated is open, airy and made of nat­ temple has made its mark also ship on James Street Temple Bregman, Bernard Effinan, gation had been bom. prayer books and other items ural materials as well. in its care for the homeless Emanu-El was well on its way Richard Ellner, Roy Kern, Shortly after the first ser­ of the Jewish ritual.” Two sections of 10 rows of and hungry, its Men’s Club to having a permanent home. Herbert Pine and Jesse Taub” vices, the temple’s sisterhood pews facing the bema and a blood drives and its many Interestingly, while the new were in attendance, and Ros­ was formed, consisting of 12 large modem brass “eternal other projects. temple was yet under con­ “They had some sort of marin was selected as the con­ women. The sisterhood grew flame” sculpture are the domi­ Next year will mark the 30th struction, 1968’s Selichot ser­ weird notion,” Sheingold was gregation’s first president rapidly. nant characteristics of the anniversary of the Temple vices were held by the congre­ reported as saying “of setting Evidence of the need and sanctuary. The rooms are de­ Still, with no permanent gation within the framework of up a museum — I guess to Emanu-El. And while 30 years support for a Reform congre­ scribed as "flexible” in that may well be compared to the structure to call their home, the floorless and roofless show what they had done. gation became apparent From there are movable, accordion­ congregants and organizations structure. The temple’s 25th blink of an eye when con­ the energy generated at (he They save a lot of scrolls that like walls throughout Meeting trasted to the thousands of of the new temple met Anniversary history notes, July 1961 meeting of seven way.” rooms, classrooms, a kitchen years of Jewish history, it can throughout the township — “our candlelight brightened families, the congregation bur­ The report continues: and offices complete the struc­ be said that Temple Emanu-El “the Fords Firehouse, the the night” geoned into a “going congrega­ “From throughout Central and ture. and its congregants have made tion” of 75 families. Fords Junior High, Clara Bar­ It was also at that time that Eastern Europe, many of the The year 1970 saw the first significant, long-lasting contri­ ‘Temple Emanu-El was the ton Elementary and the Wells- the temple’s current rabbi, Alf­ Jewish ritual objects were sent holiday service celebrated at butions to the spiritual, cul­ right idea at the right time and ley Methodist Church” are red Landsberg, joined the con- to Prague where they were as­ Temple Emanu-El. That year tural and architectural history at the right place,” said Ros­ listed in the temple’s histoiy gregatioa It was in 1968, too, sembled at a special museum. was notable also in that Fran and heritage of Edison. marin. “Our congregation was as places where they met that Bernice and Marvin Ros­ There is no indication of Tillis was elected president — envisioned as the Reform/lib- The congregation used St marin purchased a Holocaust David C. Sheehan is president where the synagogue’s Torah the first woman president of a and co-founder of the Edison eral alternative for those Jews Stephen’s Fellowship Hall, Torah from the Westminster originated. congregation in the state and Township Historical Society, seeking a meaningful, modem Pleasant Avenue, and held Synagogue, London, England. “Torahs are made of parch­ the second woman to hold the and this article is one in a se­ religious experience. In the services there regularly, but These sacred scrolls had ment and wrapped around two office in the country. It was ries by society members on the space of a few months we before long, the congregation been captured by the Nazis in wooden poles or rollers. The also 1970 that the school an- history of the area. A t s on • ‘S y n G.g o g o e_S 6 Edison Twp. Pub. Library 340 Plainfield Ave. NOT TO BE TAKEN Edison, N.J. 08817 ASK AT DESK FROM LIBRARY Noven uy l i \ i u ) <ii Organized in 1952, congregation stays active By David C. Sheehan field Avenue and at the auto EDISON — One of the most evi­ workers’ union hall on Vineyard dent threads that runs through Road.” the history of the township and It became obvious to the con­ the churches and synagogues that gregants of Temple Beth-El that serve its residents is a spirit of “the congregation could not long community, helpfulness, neighbor­ exist without a building to house hood and ecumenism. its many functions.” The examples of it are many. Accordingly, the new congrega­ Temple Emanu-El, now on tion acquired land in 1954 on Jef­ James Street, held many of its ferson Boulevard, and construct­ first worship services in Fellow­ ion of tne temple began the fol­ ship Hall of St Stephen’s Luth­ lowing year. eran Church. The congregation held other services and functions Still, involvement by various in the Raritan Engine Company groups within the township did No. 2 firehouse and in Wesley not end with the successful com­ Methodist Church. Eventually, pletion of the new sanctuary. For Temple Emanu-El was able to instance, according to the tem­ construct its present sanctuary on ple’s history, “Father James Duffy land purchased from the town­ of St Matthew’s Catholic Chinch ship. opened his parish building to Following a destructive fire at projects for raising funds.” Wesley Methodist Church, Temple Many original members of the Emanu-El made the generous congregation, including “Warren loan of its organ so that Wesley Wilentz, Leonard Berg, Herbert Methodist could continue to ac­ Tanzman and Herman Breitkopf Construction on Congregation Beth-EI’s synagogue, Jefferson Boulevard, Edison, began in 1955, company its Sunday services with worked on committees for these three years after the congregation was organized by about 12 families from the Old Post Homes music. fund raising projects.” development. St Matthew’s Roman Catholic Reflecting the youth of the con­ Church conducted some of its first gregants themselves and the new­ number of the founding members With that growth, the spirit of spirit of sharing present in the worship services in such diverse ness of their house of worship, it who still worship at the Edison community and neighborhood township.

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