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Throughout its long history, Congregation Sons of Israel in Manalapan has forged a strong identity in Monmouth County's Jewish community and community-at-large.

As the congregation prepares to celebrate its 90th anniversary, members have begun to reflect on the events that have carried the synagogue into the 21st century.

The yearlong celebration of the Traditional congregation's anniversary will begin on Nov. 29, with a performance by Israeli singer Chava Alberstein. The concert, which will be the congregation's major fund-raising event of the year, is the first of a series of special events, still in the planning stage, that will commemorate the congregation's milestone, said congregation president Steve Litwok of Marlboro.

Four hundred families are members of Sons of Israel, and the synagogue's growth and history reflect the expansion of the Jewish population in the western part of Monmouth County, said Rabbi Robert Pilavin, the congregation's religious leader for the past five years. When the synagogue was founded by eight families on Dec. 29, 1917, they brought their European Jewish culture and traditions with them, the rabbi said.

The founding families, new arrivals in the United States, settled in the county's western region, which in 1917 consisted largely of farm land and small retail trade establishments. There was an abundance of open space, and the new Jewish residents, many of whom had been farmers and small businesspersons in Europe, resumed their trades in their new country.

They also wanted a house of worship, and the first Orthodox Congregation Sons of Israel building was erected on a three-acre site on Mechanic Street in Englishtown. Records show that the land was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Morris Kerstein and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Feinberg, who were area residents.

"The building was constructed by the voluntary labor of the members of the new congregation," Pilavin told NJ Jewish News. "The synagogue was built in the style of Eastern Europe's shtetls, and a small adjacent community center was built next door. That synagogue served the members of the congregation for more than 50 years."

In keeping with Orthodox custom, the original synagogue had a balcony that provided seating for women, while the men sat downstairs.

A copy of the original congregation's constitution states: "We, the Brothers and Sisters of the Congregation Sons of Israel…were organized in 1917 for the purpose of maintaining an Orthodox synagogue…and also to encourage honor, friendship, and loyalty among our Jewish people…and to encourage good fellowship among our neighbors."

The synagogue's first president was Zarach Zakowitz, and members of the Zakowitz family are still on the synagogue's membership roster. Descendants of other founding families, including the Berger, Yacknowitz, and Seltzer families, also maintain synagogue memberships, Pilavin said.

Congregation growth was slow in the early years, but records show that membership surged during the 1940s and 1950s as more immigrant Jewish families settled in the rural area. By the mid-1960s, 110 families had become members, and the building in Englishtown no longer was able to accommodate the expanding number of congregants.

On Labor Day 1965, a ground-breaking ceremony took place on a three-acre tract on Gordons Corner Road in Manalapan. The site had been donated by the K. Hovnanian development company. Before construction began the following week, synagogue members buried a time capsule on the property.

"It was buried in the area where the cornerstone was placed," Litwok told NJ Jewish News. "We have no idea what's inside the capsule or what it would take to unearth it, but it would be a great part of our anniversary celebration if we could find a way to bring it up."

Although a formal dedication ceremony took place in October 1969, the congregation celebrated its first service at the new location on Rosh Hashana 1968.

The move to the new location was one of many changes in the life of the synagogue. The congregation moved to a more traditional form of worship, as new Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform synagogues became established in the area.

"Sons of Israel became the force for Traditional Judaism," said Pilavin. "We practice open-minded, Traditional Judaism — it's kind of a middle course. In our sanctuary, there is a section in front where men and women can sit separately. That is in honor of the history of this congregation. There is family seating in the rest of the sanctuary."

Beginning in the 1960s, members became more active in local politics. During the past four decades, congregants served as mayors and members of local borough councils, township committees, planning and zoning boards, and boards of education. Others cofounded and became volunteer members of local first aid units, while other congregants became volunteer firefighters.

Some of the several dozen congregation members who are Holocaust survivors are educators who talk with students at area schools about their experiences.

There were always members who were active in some aspect of community affairs," said Jack Linder of Marlboro, who has been a congregant for 42 years and is chair of the anniversary committee. "We've had members who were presidents of Jewish day schools and some who were part of an interfaith program that was held at local high schools. I've always felt that being a member of this synagogue also meant being an active member of the general community."

But being part of Jewish and community life could occasionally be a hurtful experience, Linder told NJ Jewish News.

"Twenty years ago, a nearby synagogue was desecrated with swastikas," said Linder. "It was a terrible reminder that hatred and intolerance still exist. But people from the Jewish and non-Jewish communities came together, went to that synagogue, and erased those ugly symbols. That sense of unity reaffirmed our belief in the essential goodness of our neighbors and our community."

Looking back at the history of the synagogue and its present-day status evokes a sense of personal pride and accomplishment, added Pilavin.

"We have a nursery school, religious school, and Hebrew high school, and there are 50 students throughout the three levels," he said. "They are eager to learn about Judaism and how it becomes such an important and influential part of life. Through the years, the congregation was fortunate to have a strong and dedicated membership, guided by the principles of our founders. They would be proud to see that their legacy has continued."

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