There and back again
An influx of new families sparks a synagogue’s renaissance in Sussex County

by Johanna Ginsberg
NJJN Staff Writer

Just after the signs let you know you have entered a historic mining town, but before you arrive at two churches side by side in Franklin, there’s a little road that takes you right to the door of an old stone building with tall, narrow, Gothic windows.

This is stop number nine on the Franklin Historical Society’s tour: Temple Shalom of Sussex County. A 172-year-old building, it has housed a synagogue since 1916 and the current congregation since 1975.

But to young Jewish families who move to Sussex County seeking better a quality of life and affordable real estate, the congregation is no historical curiosity. Temple Shalom, one of three synagogues in the county, is experiencing a renaissance.

“I’m a nature girl. I like to garden, I don’t like crowds, and my husband likes to fish,” said Cathy Zerbian, 48, who moved to Wantage eight years ago from Parsippany and joined the congregation three years ago. “We wanted to live in the country. And Sussex County offers more for your money, real-estate wise.”

One rainy Sunday morning in April, more than 40 people gathered for Shaharit prayers before religious school. Children and parents sat together in the sanctuary that boasts all of its original detail, with the exception of the pews. Rabbi Gerald Catano, who will celebrate 15 years with the congregation in June, called the children up to lead the service. That enabled him to meander around the room, greeting his congregants with a gentle kindness.

After services, some parents congregated in the small lobby area outside the sanctuary while the children made their way to classes, held in two trailers in the parking lot. Seven years ago, there were just 35 kids attending the school here; today 60 are enrolled. Ten years ago, the synagogue had 50 or 60 members; today membership hovers around 100.

To keep pace with the growth at the synagogue, the congregation is now in the midst of a $350,000 capital campaign to raise the funds to build a permanent school and abandon the trailers that have been a fixture there for 20 years. “We’ve outgrown the facility,” said congregation president Stuart Schulman.

Zerbian was a little more blunt in her assessment. “People come, and they say, ‘I don’t want to send my kids to school in a trailer.’”

Sussex County is the fourth-fastest-growing county in New Jersey, according to the United States Census Bureau. Its population grew by 10.5 percent in the 1990s, from 130,336 in 1990 to 144,700 in 1999, or twice the statewide gain of 5.1 percent. Franklin’s population was estimated at 5,249 in 2001. Schulman, one of the handful of members who actually lives in Franklin, estimated that among those, there are “three or four Jewish families.”

But the Jewish population is growing elsewhere in Sussex County. According to the 1998 Jewish Population Survey, the county’s Jewish population had grown since 1986 from 4 to 5 percent of the Jewish population of the whole MetroWest area.

The congregation draws families from the entire surrounding area. “Most people drive about 20 minutes,” said Lori Cohen, who used to live in nearby Highland Lakes but recently moved to Kinnelon. The largest percentage of families, however, comes from nearby Vernon and Sparta, according to Schulman.

Schulman was drawn to the area in 1990 by the real estate. “I’m originally from Long Island, and because of housing prices there I was more pushed into the area than drawn to it.” His wife, who comes from a small town, preferred Franklin’s small-town environment. The Schulmans found the synagogue in the phone book, attended a Friday evening Shabbat service, and were surprised to find a Jewish community altogether different from those they had experienced on Long Island. “I liked it. I liked the rabbi, the people were nice, and the atmosphere was nice,” said Schulman. “It didn’t feel like a traditional Long Island Conservative synagogue that can alienate you sometimes. I felt very welcome here.”

Because there are so few Jews in the area, many people join because they want to provide a Jewish education and community for their children. Gary Mantell of Vernon was cutting bagels for the students’ break when he spoke with NJJN. He has two daughters, eight and 12. He moved to the area about 10 years ago from Long Island because he got a job nearby, but was pleased with the change.

“It’s a nicer environment here,” he said. “The values on Long Island are so skewed. Here, things are much more laid back.” But the dearth of Jewish families was a growing concern. “As the girls were getting older, we didn’t run into Jewish families every minute. They needed some self-awareness. They need to know other Jews other than the handful we know. And all the other kids go to CCD [Catholic school] and celebrate Easter. So my daughters have embraced Hebrew school.” In the two years that he’s been a member, he has surprised himself at how involved he has become; he was just nominated to the synagogue board.

Known as the “fluorescent mineral capital of the world,” Franklin was incorporated in 1913, drawing workers to its zinc mines. In 1902, Zalman Mindlan was the first Jew to move there [see sidebar]. In the early days, the Jewish community was Orthodox, made up for the most part of family and friends that Mindlan brought to the area, according to his son, Ed Mindlan, who still lives in Franklin with his wife, Estelle.

Together they are the repository of Jewish history of the area. They have watched the ebb and flow of the community, evolving from a small, tightly knit Orthodox congregation early in the 20th century, into a more modern Conservative group after World War II, and finally merging with a local havura to become Temple Shalom. Today, it is independent, not affiliated with any movement, blending customs and traditions from across the denominations.

The congregation includes many intermarried families, and part of the rabbi’s genius, according to members, is his ability to include everyone without upsetting the traditionalists. “He’s got a unique style. He’s an unbelievable person, very religious. And he really includes everyone,” said Cohen. “When you’re interfaith, you want to feel comfortable; you want to feel a part of it. We have a rabbi who is spiritual and welcoming. His goal is to be a bridge and not to separate people. He’s into bringing people together. The more people learn about the Jewish religion, the more they feel comfortable with it.”

Even those not among the interfaith families see him as unique. “He’s not by the book. He’s very spiritual and very liberal,” said Zerbian.

Rabbi Catano’s still-heavy Bronx accent seems out of place in the rural stone sanctuary. Raised Orthodox and ordained at the Orthodox Yeshivas Heichal HaTorah in Manhattan, he eschews denominational tags. “I blend from [Orthodoxy, Conservatism, and Reform]. Each has something to offer; none sees the whole picture. And I like creativity.”

He has taken the Reform siddur Gates of Prayer and added his own touches, from Orthodox prayers, to prayers he has written himself, to photographs of Jews from around the world. “Have you ever seen a Chinese Torah?” he asked a visitor, enthusiastically pointing to a photo in the photocopied prayer book. “The universality appeals to the kids,” he added.

He has a decidedly unorthodox resume, which includes work with the black Jewish community in Manhattan — although to be able to do that work, he had to find a way to supplement the $28 per week they could afford to pay him. “I drove a cab; I did all sorts of things,” he said. Asked what attracted him to the Sussex County community 15 years ago, he said only, “I’m game. I like to help,” and then added, “I’m an independent Jew, not straight-laced. I don’t go from one extreme to the other.”

He obviously enjoys his work, and said it’s because he can tell he’s connecting with the people. “I know because people talk to me; they ask questions. This is a loving and caring congregation. It’s like the love I give out comes back manifold. It’s a good relationship.”

Johanna Ginsberg can be reached at jginsberg@njjewishnews.com.