The Ethical Culture Society of Essex County rededicated its center on the corner of Parker Avenue and Prospect Street on Sunday, celebrating 45 years as Peace Site — and, according to the Society, the Ethical Culture’s distinction of being the first Peace Site in the world.
Prior to unveiling the “Be About Peace” plaque on the porch of the historic 1895 house that has been the home of the Ethical Culture Society since 1945, the society presented a program on its history as a Peace Site.
Maplewood resident Paul Surovell, society member and founder of South Mountain Peace Action, was at the first dedication in 1981, and spoke at the rededication about the history of the peace movement in the early 1980s as well as the Peace Site’s mission since then.
He said when the Ethical Culture Society was dedicated as a Peace Site in October 1981, it was during the U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms race. The worldwide peace movement at the time demanded a nuclear freeze by both countries. The movement gained widespread support across the U.S. through town meetings and state ballot referendums, including in New Jersey, where, he said, 67% of voters statewide and about 75% locally passed a referendum calling for bilateral nuclear freeze.
Members of the Ethical Culture Society and the community, along with Deputy Mayor Malia Herman, rededicated the Society as a Peace Site on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Malia Herman)
The local sponsor of the nuclear freeze movement was the Peace & Community Action Center of Maplewood-South Orange, which eventually became South Mountain SANE (Safe Alternatives to Nuclear Energy) and then later South Mountain Peace Action, which established the local “Be About Peace” campaign in 2003 in response to the war in Iraq.
“In October 1981, the issue of war and peace was largely limited to the threat of nuclear weapons,” said Surovell, who wore his “Be About Peace” T-shirt to the rededication. “Since the invasion of Iraq we have been living in the era of ‘permanent war’ where wars, like the one in Iran, are started at the whim of the President and the threat of another war — like the invasion of Cuba — evokes little response. The tragic fact is that war has been normalized in our society. That’s a good reason to rededicate this Peace Site and to rededicate ourselves to the cause of Peace.”
The “Be About Peace” logo was designed by 10-year-old Jackson Roberts in 2003 in response to the Iraq war. (Photo courtesy of Paul Surovell)
Surovell pondered the question of whether the Peace Site is worthy of its name: “I think one can say that Ethical’s Sunday Platforms were, and are consistently, venues for exploring the principles of peaceful relationships — on personal and social levels as well as on issues of war and peace.”
Deputy Maplewood Mayor Malia Herman attended the ceremony and posted her impressions on social media, saying the rededication “couldn’t come at a more critical time.”
“We are living through a time of extraordinary division in our country, where we see people abducted by our government right off our streets, LGBTQIA+ youth barred from the health care and supports they need, and so many others losing access to critical government health care programs,” she said. “While many of us stand together in opposition to these threats coming from the Trump White House, there are other things that cause division within our own community. What today’s rededication reminded me was that we can agree to disagree while still treating one another with dignity and respect.”
“Simply put: We can listen with the intention of understanding, rather than simply waiting for our turn to respond,” she said. “We can recognize the humanity of people with whom we disagree. And, we can work toward solutions that may not give everyone everything they want but allow everyone to have a voice. That is what makes a Peace Site so meaningful. It is not simply a marker, it is a commitment.”
According to the event’s program, “Ethical Culture is premised on the idea that honoring and living in accordance with ‘ethical principles’ is central to what it takes to live meaningful and fulfilling lives and to creating a world that is good for all. Practitioners of Ethical Culture focus on supporting one another in becoming better people and social action to create a more humane world.”
The plaques on the porch at the Ethical Culture Society. (Photo couresty of Malia Herman)
Renewing their commitment to work toward peace, members of the Ethical Culture Society unveiled the “Be About Peace” plaque on the porch and sang peace songs.
Terri Suess, board member of the Ethical Culture Society, said the plaque commemorates 45 years of “working for peaceful, healthy, happy communities at all levels from the personal to city, state, national and international.”
“More programs will be held over the coming year to welcome the community to learn about nuclear threats, avenues to limit nuclear dangers and ways to prevent wars during this terribly traumatic time,” Seuss said.
The original plaque dedicating the center as a Peace Site. (Photo courtesy of Malia Herman)
