From the Maplewood Jewish Center:
The Maplewood Jewish Center welcomes the community to a special dedication event to commemorate the expansion of its new facility, recognize donors, and celebrate Chanukah. The event will take place on Sunday, December 5 at the new Maplewood Jewish Center, starting at 2:00 p.m.
“The Maplewood Jewish Center first opened our doors in 2008,” explains Frumie Bogomilsky, the Center’s administrator. “In that time, the community we serve has continued to grow and flourish. We knew our Center needed to grow as well, to better meet the needs of the families and individuals from surrounding areas. We began to dream of a larger, more expansive Center, but we weren’t sure how to turn that dream into a reality. That’s when the some very special people stepped in.”
Thanks to the vision, support and generous contributions of key donors, the dream of a larger, modernized Center began to take shape. In 2017, the Center broke ground on what would become a $1.5 million investment and a seven-year construction project.
“It’s been a long journey, with many twists, turns and bumps including the pandemic,” says Rabbi Sholom Bogomilsky, the Center’s spiritual leader. “But thanks to the dedication, perseverance and resilience of our staff, supporters and community members who came together to see this through, we now have a brand new, beautiful Center to welcome and serve more families and community members.”
The new Maplewood Jewish Center features over 17,500 square feet of state-of-the-art amenities and spaces, including the community’s first kosher mikvah. The Center’s beloved and exceptional Kinder Gan Preschool now offers more early education classrooms to accommodate families on waiting lists. Additional features include a spacious new sanctuary, social hall, fully equipped kosher kitchen, ADA-compliant amenities including a Shabbat elevator, and landscaped gardens with outdoor seating and a sukkah pad.
In celebration of the Center’s opening, and of the return of face-to-face interactions, the community is invited to attend a special “Illuminate and Dedicate” event on December 5. Hosted at the Center, the event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, tours, refreshments, scheduled speeches, and donor recognition.
“We want this community to know that the Maplewood Jewish Center is their Center — for celebration, learning, prayer, for being together, and for life,” adds Rabbi Bogomilsky. “That is why we wanted to celebrate this wonderful new resource with the very people the Center was built for, as well as those who made it possible. We look forward to a fantastic turnout and a memorable occasion.”
Anyone interested in attending the dedication event at Maplewood Jewish Center can RSVP at MJCDedication.eventbrite.com, by calling (973) 763-7455, or by emailing admin@maplewoodjewishcenter.org.
