(left to right) Michael Schechner, President of the Oheb Shalom Congregation and the great-great grandson of Rabbi Isaac Schwarz, who founded Oheb Shalom in 1860, joined Rabbi Mark Cooper, Oheb Shalom Congregation, Leo Gordon, Chair of the 150th Anniversary Celebration, Robin Dougherty, Conservancy Executive Director; and Mark Gordon, Secretary of the Conservancy Board of Directors, for the check presentation in the Conservancyâs Sundial Pavilion outside the historic synagogue.
By Vince Baglivo
Representatives of the Oheb Shalom Congregation of South Orange presented a check for $2,500 to Greater Newark Conservancy to help renovate the historic Prince Street Synagogue located on the grounds of the Conservancy’s new Outdoor Learning Center near Newark’s downtown.
Built and dedicated by Oheb Shalom in 1884, the building is the second oldest synagogue structure in New Jersey and one of the 35 oldest buildings, originally built as synagogues and still standing, in the United States.
“In the late 1950s, Oheb Shalom relocated from Newark to South Orange, though we have always maintained ties to our former home in Newark. We are very pleased to be able to give back to the city where we began and worshipped for nearly 100 years,” said Michael R. Schechner, President of the Oheb Shalom Congregation and the great-great grandson of Rabbi Isaac Schwarz, who founded Oheb Shalom in 1860.
The donation is derived from "The Walk of Ages" event held in May as part of Oheb Shalom's 150th Anniversary celebration. Members of Oheb Shalom Congregation and of Wells Cathedral Church of God in Christ walked from the Prince Street Synagogue (Oheb Shalom's home from 1884 to 1911) to the High Street Synagogue (Oheb Shalom's home from 1911 to 1958 and since then the home of Wells Cathedral Church). Each participant was asked to make a donation to be shared equally by three designated beneficiaries, including the Conservancy. A total of $7,500 was raised by the combined congregations.
“While we are pleased to receive the check as a beneficiary of “The Walk of Ages,” the Oheb Shalom Congregation’s personal interest in the renovation of the synagogue that was their home and their commitment to the Conservancy’s work is equally inspiring,” noted Robin Dougherty, Executive Director of Greater Newark Conservancy.
Purchased by the City of Newark in 1993, the historic synagogue narrowly escaped demolition and was bought by Greater Newark Conservancy in 1995 to serve as the interior education programming space for the new environmental center. The Conservancy has restored the exterior of the building and is now transforming the 15,800 square foot former synagogue to include a large lecture hall/community space, environmental classrooms, a demonstration kitchen/laboratory, environmental exhibit galleries and a computer library.
The Center serves as an urban oasis for learning where visitors can explore the wonders of nature and the urban environment through interactive, hands-on activities with environmental/horticultural themes. Its garden galleries include a Nature of Newark Trail, an Urban Wildlife Gallery, an Urban Forestry Gallery, the Nelson Mandela Freedom Garden, a Butterflies and Bugs Gallery, a Sundial Pavilion, a Sensory Adventure Gallery, a Greenhouse and a Community Demonstration Garden.
"The Conservancy Board and staff were deeply moved to see hundreds of Oheb Shalom members return to Prince Street for this year's 150th Anniversary celebration,” said Mark Gordon, a member of Greater Newark Conservancy’s Board of Directors. “Linking Newark’s past and future through the relationship between Oheb Shalom and the Conservancy is a hopeful sign for the City’s continued revitalization.”
For more information about Greater Newark Conservancy, visit www.citybloom.org.