MEN OF TBM OPENING EVENT A SUCCESS 

Nearly 50 people turned out Sunday, April 27^th for the newly minted “Men of TBM’s” first event, “The Jews of New Jersey.”  Guest speaker Michael Rockland, Professor of American Studies at Rutgers University, led a lively discussion and photo-slide show detailing the history of the Jews in the Garden State that often surprised and delighted the audience.
           
“Where was this picture taken?” Professor Rockland queried the group, as an urban image flashed on the screen depicting Jewish shops with Yiddish and Ladino window signs, street vendors, women in high-necked dresses and men wearing shirts, ties and suspenders. “The Lower East Side of New York,” came the almost unanimous reply.

 “No, this was Newark, New Jersey.”

The professor proceeded to show images of Jewish farmers, boxers (yes, Jewish boxers!), and merchants who came to New Jersey and created a vibrant community on the other side of the Hudson river.

It’s a lecture he’s given before, all over the state. One image he showed, of three young girls, once elicited a scream from the audience at a senior center – it turned out one of the audience members, a woman in her 80’s or 90’s, was one of the girls featured in the photo.

On the subject of pugilism, Professor Rockland noted that “new immigrants to this country, unskilled and unfamiliar with the culture and economy, tended to gravitate to professional fighting for lack of a better way of making money.”  Thus the Jews, the Irish, Italians, and other immigrants took their respective turns in the ring. Once they acclimated to the new country and became more educated, they turned to endeavors that were more lucrative and less punishing – kanahara!

The event was fun, interesting, and even, at times, contentious – after a brief political debate about large American corporate farms versus European small farm communities; and whether the quaint “town center” was a qualitative life choice or merely an adaptation to European socialism (thanks, Bob!). There was truly something for everyone.

Many thanks to Steve and Sue Peckman for booking Professor Rockland, Mark Belfer, Steve Silver and Larry Nagel for breakfast, Frank for the setup and breakdown.

           

Lots of other interesting and exciting events are planned for the future, keep checking your “E-Lijah” and other Temple communications.

-- Gary Krauss