photo courtesy Temple Ner Tamid, Bloomfield, NJ
Aileen Grossberg sends us this poem written by her friend Norman S. Pollack. On Monday, October 21, 2019, Four synagogues joined up on Montclair’s Church Street to celebrate Simhat Torah, B’nai Keshet, Congregation Shomrei Emunah, Temple Ner Tamid and Temple Sholom of West Essex.
The Miracle on Church Street
It happened beneath commercial lights,
On the corner was “Anthropologie:”
Twelve musicians in the diasporax
‘neath a Fullerton sign, “Pure Energy.”
Surreal, yet real, there it all was:
Four synagogues, four hakafot;
For hundreds, forever a memory,
Joining in to chant three aliyot.
Our Torah stretched out in that circle,
Held with joy right there on the street;
By children, adults of all ages,
From Devarim back to Bresheit.
The singing, the dancing, and spirit
Can’t be captured in this simple poem;
Oh, the glow of those moments in Montclair,
Thanks Keshet, Tamid, Shomrei, Shalom.
This will always be remembered,
A memory created…so up-beat;
What a great Simchat Torah!
Truly, the miracle on Church Street.
© Norman S. Pollack
photo courtesy Temple Ner Tamid, Bloomfield, NJ
Our synagogue is the spiritual home of a warm and inviting community of Jews in and around Montclair, New Jersey. We welcome individuals, couples and families of diverse backgrounds and orientations. We observe an egalitarian, vibrant Judaism, balancing openness and traditional practice.
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4 synagogues celebrating on Valley Road or Bloomfield Ave. was, indeed, extraordinary. But 4 synagogues dancing on CHURCH Street makes me chuckle.
Great poem honoring special evening.