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| Memorials | ||
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B'nai Tikvah was formed in 1981 from the merger with congregations Sharri Shalom, Beth Shalom, and the Jewish Community Center of North Brunswick. | ||
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| Congregation Sharri Sholom |
| In 1942, on a Chanukah night, in a farmhouse in South Brunswick, the Jewish Farmer's Community Center of Middlesex County was born. Within a year, membership rose to fifty families with a Sunday School and a Ladies Auxiliary. In 1963 the the name was changed to the Jewish Community Center of South Brunswick, Congregation Sharri Sholom. |
| Temple Beth Sholom |
| In 1958 twelve families established the Kendall Park Jewish Community Jewish Center. Shabbat services and school classes were held in member's homes and in the local fire house. Rosh Hashanah 1959 saw them in their own building which served as both synagogue and school where the teachers were volunteers from the congregation. Originally a reform temple, the congregation became conservative in the late 60's when they hired it's first full time Rabbi. |
| North Brunswick Jewish Community Center |
| In 1977 a group consisting of twelve families, calling itself the "Steering Committee", met weekly to formulate guidelines and policies for a Temple which would serve as the Jewish community of North Brunswick. Both High Holy Day and Friday evening services were held at the Hidden Lake clubhouse. |
| Congregation B'nai Tikvah |
| As the Jewish people of North Brunswick became a cohesive group, it soon became evident that their needs would be be better served by merging with the two synagogues in South Brunswick. The consolidated effort of the three individual groups in 1981 assured the potential strength of a Jewish voice in the North & South Brunswick community with the initial construction of our current building in 1983. |
| Today, Congregation B'nai Tikvah is a thriving community which embodies the three classic functions of a traditional synagogue; |
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At a Membership Committee meeting, the idea arose of honoring our founders. And from that moment on, this simple idea took on a life of its own. We invited some of the founders to sit around and tell us what really happened back then, before we had this building. And the stories were so amazing. We were excited to hear of the humorous and heart-warming early days, running Bingo games and other activities that helped to fund our startup, and we decided to share them with the entire congregation. So this is the plan that the committee formulated: every year in May, at the anniversary of the merger of the three Temples, we honor, with a special Sabbath, any congregants who have been members of our congregation for eighteen years. Those members and their families are honored at a special Shabbat, followed by a luncheon. The first Chai Shabbat was held August 26, 2000. There we honored those who were there at the beginning, involved with one of the three merged congregations more than 18 years ago. So, look in your records and find out when you became a member of B'nai Tikvah, then add 18 years. We hope to see you then! |
| The committee is responsible for documenting, organizing and preserving Congregation B'nai Tikvah's and predecessors photographs and memorabilia. Some of the wonderful photographs that we have are already beginning to fade because they have not been handled properly. We need to act now to ensure that our rich history is captured for future generations. There are many inspirational memories such as the Torahs being carried into the sanctuary for the first time, the ground breaking for the original building and the school wing, and founding members enjoying the community that they worked so hard to create. Let us honor the past and capture the next phase of our history. |
