by Debra Rubin
NJJN Bureau Chief/Middlesex

February 05, 2008

When the Webelos of Cub Scout Pack 5 of Highland Park/Edison heard about the destruction of hundreds of headstones at Poile Zedek Cemetery in New Brunswick, they wanted to help the families devastated by the damage to their loved ones’ graves.

So on Jan. 13, armed with notebooks and warm coats for a cold winter day, the boys, their leaders, and their parents began taking inventory of the headstones that were toppled and broken during vandalism sprees on Jan. 1 and 4.

“The boys were very upset,” said scoutmaster Kevin Leff of Highland Park. “They’re very mature so we came up with the idea of volunteering to assist.”

The scouts, who are nine to 11 years old, and their families came to the Joyce Kilmer Avenue cemetery Jan. 13 and returned the following Friday to finish up.

“Even though it was a quite cold day, it was clear they understood the importance of these headstones to the families and to the community,” said Leff. “We in Highland Park were appalled by what happened.”

The troop is Shabbat- and kosher-observant and meets at Congregation Ohav Emeth in Highland Park and the Highland Park Recreation Center.

“I chose to come because it was really important to me,” said Josh Lowenstein, an 11-year-old from Highland Park. “The reason I did it is because it breaks my heart to see that.”

Nine-year-old David Goldstein of Edison said he was “very sad” to see the markers knocked over and wanted to help “the stones stand back up.”

Marilyn Blacher-Reich, who accompanied her son, Joey, on the inventory said her grandparents and great-grandfather are buried at the cemetery.

“I thought it was a really nice thing to do for the community,” she said.

The pack’s other leader, Justin Hornstein, was shocked by what they saw.

“It was just astounding the amount of damage that was done,” he said.

Poile Zedek’s Rabbi Abraham Mykoff praised the scouts for their efforts. “I thought it was wonderful,” he said. “They performed a real community service.”