75th Celebration

In 1936, the Jewish Community of Verona established a shul.  Although there weren’t many Jews in the area at that time, there were many people who had a strong prejudice against Jews.  Whole areas of the Borough discriminated against Jews and did not allow them into their neighborhoods.  Hardly any Jewish children attended the Borough schools.  Together with other minorities we had to struggle to find our place here.

Those were the black years between the Depression and World War II.  Nevertheless, the country was opening up and people were coming here to find new opportunity.  Life was generally difficult for Jews wherever they settled and so with challenges before them, but with an eye for the opportunities in the as yet undefined suburban communities surrounding New York City and Newark, a handful of Jews opened stores in Verona.  There were the Evensons and the Sebiris and the Smithlines and the Solomons, to name just a few.  That group worked hard and became good citizens and worthy friends of the residents of this town.  In time, as many local Christians found that they could depend upon their Jewish neighbors, Jews were recognized as loyal and upstanding citizens.

As time passed the Jewish community grew.  Their little shul, founded by Rabbi Alter Kriegel and a handful of the early Jewish families, found a home in Verona.  The community asked the shul to be part of ecumenical services held on Thanksgiving.  The Presbyterian Church inaugurated an annual Brotherhood service with the JCC, as it was called then.

During the next seventy five years the Jewish community became part of the warp and woof of this town.  We counted among our numbers councilmen and even a mayor.  The Borough chose one of our members to be the head of the Board of Education.  The synagogue was accepted without prejudice as a part of the ecumenical community.  Part of Personette Avenue was even named for Rabbi Alter Kriegel, the first rabbi.

Today, three quarters of a century later, we want to celebrate our 75 years of growth in Verona.  But this is not just a time to recognize the blooming of the Jewish community.  It is also a time to celebrate in a Jewish way the growth of the American dream for people of every religion, every color and every ethnicity.   And we want you to be a part of that celebration.
  
Won’t you celebrate with us?