SPRING 2020
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CONTENTS BLP
COVER 12 FIGHTING CHANCE Boxer Gregory Anthony Cover Photo by Max Ryazansky
FEATURES 15 WOMEN IN BUSINESS Bayonne Professionals
28 CAMP LEWIS Celebrating 75 Years
20
32 THE NEW EGYPTIANS Preserving and Changing Bayonne
44 BAYONNE PAL Meeting a Modern Need
46 CHECK MATES Recreation Chess Club
DEPARTMENTS 6 OUR STAFF 8 CONTRIBUTORS 10 EDITOR’S LETTER 16 EDUCATION On the Air with BEN-TV
20 DOWN MEMORY LANE The Battles of 52nd Street
22 SPORTS John Mullin Turns Pro
36 HELPING HANDS Bayonne GRASP
38 WORKING OUT WITH John Niesz
40 HOW WE LIVE Skye Lofts South
42 HOW WE WORK Small Business
46
4 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
48 EATERY Piccolino Ristorante
Se an e dS Da an ee D d S av Sa ae ve ve v e!
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THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST WILL TRANSFORM YOU
SPRING 2020 Volume 6 • Number 1 Published twice annually A Publication of Newspaper Media Group
PUBLISHER Perry Corsetti EDITOR IN CHIEF Kate Rounds ART DIRECTOR Terri Saulino Bish ADVERTISING MANAGER Tish Kraszyk SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Toni Anne Calderone-Caracappa Ron Kraszyk
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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Jay Slansky John Ward CIRCULATION Luis Vasquez FINANCIAL Sharon Metro
Bayonne Life on the Peninsula is published by the Newspaper Media Group, 447 Broadway, Bayonne, New Jersey 07002, (201) 798-7800, Fax (201) 798-0018. Email bayonnemag@ hudsonreporter.com. Subscriptions are $10 per year, $25 for overseas, single copies are $7.50 each, multiple copy discounts are available. VISA/MC/AMEX accepted. Subscription information should be sent to BLP Magazine Subscriptions, 447 Broadway, Bayonne, NJ 07002. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other unsolicited materials. Copyright ©2020, Newspaper Media Group .All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.
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6 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
Bayonne Life on the Peninsula is a publication of Newspaper Media Group 447 Broadway, Bayonne, New Jersey 07002 phone 201.798.7800 fax 201.798.0018
Today’s PAL What Summer Camp is All About!
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PAT BONNER
MAX RYAZANSKY
JIM HAGUE
PAT BONNER
is a Navy veteran and one of the Bayonne’s 45th Street Bonners
JIM HAGUE
is a Jersey City native, who landed a job with the Hudson Dispatch in 1986. He has been the sports columnist for the Hudson Reporter Associates for the last 22 years.
VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
has studied publication design, photography, and graphic arts. “I’ve been fascinated by photography for almost 20 years,” he says.
TARA RYAZANSKY
8 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
CONTRIBUTORS
B L P
VICTOR M. RODRIGUEZ
MAX RYAZANSKY
is a photographer whose work has been exhibited in galleries and published worldwide. A recent transplant to Bayonne, he spends his spare time trying to figure out the best pizza place in town.
TARA RYAZANSKY
is a writer who moved from Brooklyn to Bayonne. She works as a blogger for Nameberry.com and spends her spare time fixing up her new (to her) 100-year-old home.
DIANA SCHWAEBLE
is an award-winning reporter and former editor of hMAG. She has covered Hudson County for more than a decade, writing about the arts, music, and celebs.
DIANA SCHWAEBLE
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EDITOR’S LETTER BLP
As I write this, the nation and the world is in the grip of what is arguably the worst disaster any of us have encountered. Publishing our magazines is a challenge, to say the least. We ask that you bear with us and also that you stay safe. A number of factors are coalescing to move Bayonne further from its industrial roots. Back in the early 2000s, the light rail connected Bayonne to its northern neighbors and eased commuting into Manhattan. Soon, young professionals moved in, residential development followed, the ferry came onboard, and a gondola to Staten Island is in the visionary stage. A couple of stories in this issue point to this new Bayonne, keyed into the national scene. Pat Bonner takes an in-depth look at the Muslim and Coptic communities. Arabic is now the thirdmost-used language in town, reflecting the contemporary look of our immigrant communities here and around the country.
see page 35
10 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
Photo by Marie Papp
Trends, Tradition, and Our Time of Need
SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 11
A Bayonne boxer throws punches from a wheelchair
Gregory Anthony
FIGHTING CHANCE 12 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
out all three rounds was about five times,” Anthony says, explaining that the judges use a points system to determine the winner. “The way I look at it is, it was a learning experience.” There are no hard feelings between the two boxers because Anthony and Middleton have the same goal. They even became friends. “We had a great time,” Anthony relates. “He showed me the town. He was a pretty cool dude. We’re not in it to hurt each other. I’m not trying to get in the ring and knock a person out of their wheelchair. We’re in there to show everybody out there that we’re able to do anything we want to do as long as we put our mind to it.”
Wheels of Fortune By Tara Ryazansky Photos by Max Ryazansky
B
ayonne is well known as the hometown of one boxing legend, but this is also home to one in the making. Gregory Anthony trains himself, often working out with a punching bag hung behind his midtown apartment building. The thud of each powerful punch echoes off the surrounding buildings. Like any boxer, Anthony attacks the bag, working on his reach and his technique, but his stance is a bit different than the typical boxer. Anthony is a wheelchair boxer. As the first American boxer to fight in an international wheelchair boxing match, he’s already made history. But that was just round one in Anthony’s fight to popularize wheelchair boxing here in the United States. Anthony just got back from the U.K. where he fought against Christopher Middleton who represented Great Britain. Anthony didn’t win the match, but he did put up a good fight getting in more punches than his opponent. “The most he hit me through-
Anthony has held fast to that positive outlook since he first lost his mobility in 2009 at age 18. “I’m a gunshot victim from Jersey City,” he says, but he’s also a father, and he couldn’t let his injury prevent him from being a role model to his young son. “I had to still be a father no matter what the situation was,” Anthony says. “I try to do a lot of things, and I don’t let this define me. The wheelchair doesn’t define me; how I live my life is how I define myself.” Anthony also has a passion for music. His work as Young Gots has been featured on radio shows and on the soundtrack of the Netflix film Love Beats Rhymes starring Azealia Banks. But when he isn’t writing and recording songs he’s training hard as a boxer. “I always boxed even when I was young,” he says. “I was around 12 or 13 when my mom put me in boxing in Jersey City.” He got his early start at Duprees Boxing Gym, owned by Jersey City boxing champion Jimmy Dupree. “I was only in it for a little bit ‘cause my mom wanted me to focus on my schooling,” he says. “I fell away from it for awhile, but I always would watch boxing.”
American Dream Anthony says he looks up to Bayonne boxer Chuck Wepner. “I admire the Bayonne Bleeder a lot ‘cause of how tough of a fighter he was,” Anthony says. “He’s Jersey.” It wasn’t until after he started using a wheelchair that Anthony participated in the sport again. He found videos online to teach himself wheelchair boxing. Wheelchair boxers use the lighter, faster basketball wheelchairs. “A boxer runs, but I have to push,” Anthony says. “Normally, I’m pushing myself a few miles a day, but it’s more when I’m training.” He also punches the bag outdoors in good weather. But he doesn’t often get the chance to spar with others because the sport isn’t very popular in this country. The closest wheelchair boxer he knows lives in Brooklyn. Wheelchair boxing is more prevalent in the U.K. Anthony wants to change that. He will join wheelchair boxers from the tri-state area, Team USA, in Philadelphia in February for an intensive
SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 13
training camp. The boxers will spar and practice together to build their skills. They will also discuss ways to promote the sport in the U.S. “We’re trying to get to the Paralympics,” Anthony says.”This is a legitimate sport. Right now we have hockey, basketball, volleyball, there are a lot of sports out there for people in wheelchairs, but
14 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
we’re trying to make boxing an official sport.” After training camp, Anthony has a match in Belfast, Ireland, where he’s excited to again get in the ring and fight an opponent in an arena. Says Anthony, “This sport makes me feel like I’m able again, like I can do whatever I want to do.”—BLP
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see page 19 SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 15
Motivating the Next Generation of FILMMAKERS On the air with BEN-TV By Diana Schwaeble
O
n a recent afternoon, I observed an advanced Student Film class led by James Pondillo, head of the Media Department at Bayonne High School. Created three years ago, the course is composed mostly of juniors and seniors. The students, many of whom are planning to continue studying film in college, were brainstorming on how to capture certain shots. Pondillo explained the technical aspect of shooting a scene with a green screen, but emphasized that when you’re layering it into another scene, the lighting has to match, or it will look fake. Four programs include three that are production based. Some schools don’t offer film production as an elective, let alone quality equipment, says senior Daniele Yohannan. When Pondillo took over the department five years ago, he applied for grants to update the equipment. Computers are loaded with Adobe Premiere Pro, the cameras are high definition, and the school has a television production studio. “We have the ability to use editing software, microphones, and other equipment to build skills,” Yohannan says. “In all three years that I have been taking film production classes, I have done nothing but reach higher, and the results have surprised me.”
Mr. James Pondilla
FESTIVAL FEATS Yohannan has won a number of festival awards. Pondillo says, “My directive was, why don’t we start entering these festivals to see how we’re doing, you know? We started that about three years ago, and we’ve won many awards.” Each film is under 10 minutes. The films are narrative or experimental. BHS students have won in the Ramapo College Film Festival, School Award 2019; Kent Place Film Festival, Best Cinematography 2018 and Best Film 2017; and Black Maria Film Festival, Third Place and Honorable Mention 2018, among others. “The most advanced kids, the seniors, have to plan, cast, and shoot all their senior films, which takes substantial time to do,” Pondillo says. “They’re working on films for a couple of months at a time.” Recently, Yohannan put in a long day shooting footage for Alvin Ailey. “She got on a bus with the dancers at 8 a.m.,” Pondillo says. “The show isn’t until 7 p.m. She’s going to do a 1415-hour day just to get it recorded. Then she’ll edit it and give to me to put on TV.”
16 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
Katie Harrigan
EDUCATION BLP
Yohannan plans to continue film studies at Savannah College of Art and Design and hopes to earn a Master’s degree in Fine Arts for TV and Film Production. Her suspenseful short “The Bell” recently aired on BEN-TV. Though she’s not sure what job in the industry she might have, she’s gained confidence from her classes at BHS, where she learned there’s strength in teamwork.
FILM FIENDS
Franklyn Plasencia
Each class is 40 minutes, so students interested in film are looking at hours of work outside the classroom. The BENTV program was launched in 2001 as a public operation, but changed into a curricular course. BEN-TV is a 24-hour channel that airs on You Tube. “The sporting events and district events are technically under my BEN-TV Club,” Pondillo says. “These students want to be more hands on. They volunteer to cover all these district events.” Pondillo oversees all the productions. Though technically the students could broadcast some things live, Pondillo says that everything is reviewed and edited to make sure it is broadcastready. New students taking an intro class also get involved. Pondillo teaches an intro to digital filmmaking and an intro to studio class that focus on television production. He gives practical lessons in camera operation, and all the students get involved in making a commercial for BHS. “They pick something, a club or a class or a program,” Pondillo says, “and they have to do a short commercial.”
EDUCATION BLP
FUTURE FILMMAKERS OF AMERICA Not all high school students know what career path they plan to take, but one thing’s certain, almost every job requires media skills, through branding, social media, or websites. The ability to tell a compelling story is a life skill. Job seekers need it during interviews, advertising folks need it to sell products, and social media users need it to grab attention. Pondillo joked that some of his students might take a filmmaking class because it sounds better than accounting But, he says, “By senior year you can really see where some of these kids are going. Some are great editors. Some are better at filming just because they’re putting in the hours. They’re watching tutorials, they’re asking me questions.” Before students proceed with an idea he tells them to ask two questions: “Can I do this? Is it worth doing?” It’s clear, watching these kids, that the answer to both questions is a resounding yes.—BLP
Gracey Boutrus (L) Nina Hojnacki (R)
Arlana Velez
Jack Engdall Julia Gordon, Daniele Yohannan, Ione Casias
18 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
from page 15
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see page 25
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SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 19
The Battles of nd street
52
F ORT D E L A NCEY H AD A R I C H H I S TORY, BU T
THERE’S NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT
By Pat Bonner they go about their day-to-day activities, few residents realize that they may be walking or parking their cars on ground where Revolutionary War battles or skirmishes were fought. Although the area around Avenue B and 52nd Street is now mostly one- and twofamily homes, once it was a place where the newly formed Continental Army fought against the loyalists who were supporting the British Empire. In the late eighteenth century, Bayonne was known as Bergen Neck. In April 1776, when George Washington learned that the British fleet was sailing for New York, he ordered that a main fort be built at Paulus Hook in Jersey City. In July of that year, he ordered General Hugh Mercer (for whom Mercer Park on the city line is named) to send 500 men to Bayonne to set up two forts: one at First Street and Avenue A and the other between 51st and 52nd Streets east of Avenue B. This uptown site was later known as Fort Delancey.
As
‘A Notoriously Vicious Character’ One historian, writing 115 years ago, reported that the fort occupied the high land between 51st and 52nd Streets starting about 100 feet east of the Speedway (Avenue B) and adjoining the property to the rear of 99 West 51st Street. Until
20 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
Avenue B and 52nd Street is now mostly one- and two-family homes. Once it was a place where the newly formed Continental Army fought against the loyalists who were supporting the British Empire. recently, there was a marker near the site reading “BERGEN NECK FORT, built by Americans 1776, occupied 1777-1782 by Loyalist Forces who named it Fort Delancey.” With the British landing in New York, General Mercer was forced to abandon the fort on October 5, 1776, marching his men north to Fort Lee. For the next seven years, Bergen Neck/Bayonne was a
sort of no man’s land between the British on Staten Island and the Continentals to the west and north of Jersey City. Fort Delancey was taken over by the loyalists and was commanded by a loyalist named Tom Ward, who reportedly was a “notoriously vicious character” who sent his band of “desperadoes” to plunder the surrounding farms. Farmhouses were looted and then burned.
DOWN MEMORY LANE BLP
Holding the Fort There were both loyalists and rebels living here. Both armies used the area as a source of grain, meat, and firewood. In August 1780, General Lafayette and his troops marched from Fort Lee all the way to Bergen Point where they loaded their wagons with grain and whatever else they could take. The British forces under command of Admiral Howe fired on them from Staten Island, but they were able to get away with their provisions. Between 1780 and 1782, Fort Delancey was attacked by the Continentals several times. There was a cold snap in early February 1782, and Newark Bay froze. On February 7, a Captain Bowmay and 200 Continental militia walked across Newark Bay to the foot of 56th Street, known then as Refugees Post and attacked the fort. They marched in three columns but were unsuccessful in taking the fort. On March 29 there was another attempt. Small boats from Newark landed at 54th Street and Newark Bay and headed for the fort. They took seven prisoners en route. However, they were intercepted by a party sent out from the fort. Four of the prisoners and two or three of the militiamen were killed.
Lost to the Fog of War In May 1782, a new British commander, Sir Guy Carleton, arrived in New York with news that there were peace negotiations going on in Paris to end the hostilities. Sir Guy arranged to have notorious loyalists, like Tom Ward, relocated for their own safety. Ward was moved to Nova Scotia. The British abandoned the fort in September 1782 and burned it to the ground. The ruins of the fort remained for some time, but they have since been replaced by houses. Now, there is nothing to indicate the rich history of the neighborhood. Years ago, a rusty cannon ball was dug up from under an old tree in front of 90 West 52nd Street. There are also stories of an old bayonet and a portion of a cap being dug up near the site. No doubt there are still relics of this era buried a few feet underground over the entire area. There is now parkland by the bay that’s accessible to the public. No doubt, additional Revolutionary War artifacts will be uncovered in the future.—BLP
On February 7, Captain Bowmay and 200 Continental militia walked across a frozen Newark Bay to the foot of Fifty Sixth Street, known then as Refugees Post and attacked the fort.
SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 21
Bayonne Gridiron Star Turns Pro Jon Mullin is playing in Poland now, but coaching in the Peninsula City may be in the stars By Jim Hague Photos courtesy of the Wesley College sports information office and Allyson Mollung, Director of Sports Information.
W
hen Jon Mullin was growing up in Bayonne, playing football with his friends at Bayonne County Park or Don Ahern Memorial Veterans Stadium, he dreamed of playing professional football. “I think it’s every kid’s dream to play in the NFL,” Mullin said. Mullin was a three-sport star at Bayonne High School: a hard-nosed physical basketball player and an All-Hudson County pitcher.
22 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
But there was little doubt that football was going to be his ticket out of Bayonne. “He was a big strong kid with a strong arm,” said Jason Acerra, head football coach at Bayonne. “He could also run a little bit. I always said I wanted to coach a kid like Jon.” After he graduated from BHS, Mullin went to Wesley College, an NCAA Division III school in Dover, Delaware. Wesley had a football program that practically bred quarterbacks. Veteran coach Chip Knapp, longtime offensive coordinator at Wesley who became head coach last fall, had worked with plenty of signal callers, including Joe Callahan, who has had stints with the Green Bay Packers and is currently the backup to Carson Wentz with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Knapp’s was the top-rated offense in Division III football in 2015. He’s regarded as a master at developing quarterbacks.
The Right Place for Mullin “Part of our mission is to give guys a chance to play at the next level,” Knapp said. “We’re the first step if they’re moving forward.” Mullin, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound quarterback, was a backup for two seasons before starting his senior year, Knapp’s first year as head coach. “I would come home every summer and work out with the Bayonne football team,” Mullin said. “The hard work propelled me into the starting role my senior year.”
SPORTS BLP
Knapp never lost faith in Mullin. “Jon works harder than anybody,” he said. “I think he could play any position on the field. He has the ability to make plays when there wasn’t a play. He was able to take some hits and continue. He developed knowledge to go along with his skill.” Mullin completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,838 yards and 14 touchdowns, as the Wolverines posted a 10-2 record, qualifying for the NCAA Division III playoffs. Wesley defeated Framingham State in the opening round, before falling to Delaware Valley in the second round.
Across the Pond “After my senior year, I thought I might be able to hook on with some Arena League team or something,” Mullin said. He also registered on Europlayers.com, a website that helps prospective football players and coaches find positions overseas. Hundreds of professional teams play American-rules football throughout Europe. Mullin was willing to travel anywhere. At age 22, Mullin said, “I just wanted an opportunity to continue to play football another day.” Enter the Bialystok Lowlanders, which plays in Liga Futbolu Amerykanskiego, the American Football International League. The team is based in Poland.
The Lowlanders are coached by American John Douglas Harper. They won the league championship in 2018 and made the playoffs in 2019. The Lowlanders needed a quarterback who could run and throw. Mullin fit the bill. “From what I can gather, Bialystock is a small city, so there won’t be too many distractions,” Mullin said. “I can just go there and play football.”
SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 23
SPORTS BLP
Bialystock is the name of one of the main characters in the Broadway hit “The Producers,” starring Matthew Broderick and Jersey City native Nathan Lane.
Making History Mullin will become the first Hudson County resident, and New Jersey native, to play pro football in Poland. He was hard at work securing a passport to travel to Poland for practices. The league plays in the spring. The team’s first game is scheduled for March 23. “They’re going to give me a salary, accommodations and flights,” Mullin said. “The salary isn’t much, but it’s just an opportunity to play football.”
24 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020
Mullin will be one of only two Americans on the Lowlander roster, by league rules. “I’m thrilled,” Acerra said. “He can go to Poland and make a name for himself.” Mullin is getting a crash course in the Polish language and culture. “I have some Polish friends,” he said. “My homeroom teacher from Bayonne High is from Poland, and he said Bialystock is good. I’ve been on Google translate a lot, trying to figure out what they’re saying.” Mullin said that he’s not worried about the weather in Poland. “It doesn’t faze me,” Mullin said. “My Jersey heritage will help me.”
American Dream Knapp was overjoyed to have Mullin sign the contract in front of him.
“Jon is moving on to the professional level now with a strong combination of toughness and a football IQ,” he said. “He took the initiative to get this done and knew that a team needs a quarterback the most.” Mullin doesn’t know what the future holds after Poland. He hopes that someone watches him play there and realizes he has the talent to play pro football in the United States. If not, Mullin holds a degree in physical education and hopes to become a teacher and a coach someday, maybe even in Bayonne. For now, Mullin is doing what a lot of other football players aspire to do. “Even now, after I’ve signed, it’s still a dream to me,” Mullin said. “Anything that’s professional is fine with me. It’s just another way to showcase what I can do. I believe if you have another day to keep playing, then you keep on doing it, playing the game you love, no matter where it is.”—BLP
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see page 31
Bergen Point Community Church An Inter-denominational church Worship God together with your Christian brothers and sisters in our beautiful sanctuary. Ex Experience the love, warmth and peace of Christ with our Christian family. Communion First Sunday of every month Bible Study 3rd Wednesday of every month Like to Sing? Join our Choir Utilize our Church library – borrow different literary books and studies to help in your Christian life. 68 West 5th Street, Bayonne • 5th and Newman Avenue P.PC.Church@gmail.com NM-00424175
SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 25
E X P E R I E N C E
Bayonne
Hudson County’s Peninsula City is on the Move! • Great neighborhoods with quality homes & new Luxury Development • New ongoing commercial & residential development • Easy transportation via Light Rail or bus • Beautiful Parks & Waterfront Walkways • 2-mile Main Street that includes shopping, dining & excellent healthcare • Art and Music Events & Family Entertainment • 3.3125% Sales Tax
BayonneNJ.org Ad is paid for with the use of UEZ funds
Camp Lewis A Bayonne camper goes back in time
Stories and photos Pat Bonner
C
amp Lewis recently celebrated its 75th birthday. For years, it was a big part of the civic life of Bayonne and also of the lives of the thousands of Bayonne boys, like me, who camped there. How has it weathered? Are the Boy Scouts still relevant and worthwhile? How does the actual camp compare with my memories of it? I went up there on an overcast day, 58 years after I first camped there, to look for answers to these and other questions. On December 30, 1943, the Bayonne Boy Scouts purchased a 189-acre tract from the Union Council of Boy Scouts for $1. Ida and William Rosenthal, founders of Maidenform, the famous bra company, donated funds to set up a Boy Scout camp on the site. The camp, which opened in 1944, is named for their son Lewis, a Columbia University student who died at age 23 from pneumonia and meningitis. A plaque with a likeness of Lewis is on the parade grounds. The Rosenthal Family as well as other Bayonne businesses have been strong supporters of the camp.
Scouts Honor As I turned into the camp from Upper Hibernia Road in Rockaway, New Jersey, I began to see signs in the woods with the words trustworthy, loyal, helpful, and friendly. I remembered the 12 points of the Scout Law. It began to come back, the quiet forest, so different from the streets of Bayonne, the fun things we did here, a sense of freedom, nothing but good memories. I realized that it would take a lot to make me dislike this place. Today the camp is owned and operated by the North Jersey Council of Scouting. The Boy Scouts now are called just
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Scouts of America, and the troops are open to girls. Camp Lewis is used primarily by Cub Scouts in the summer. Older scouts use the camp on weekends during the rest of the year. Last summer, 490 Cub Scouts of both genders and parents camped during the three-week summer session. It’s no longer limited to Bayonne kids, but 13 Bayonne Cubs camped this summer.
On the Waterfront The centerpiece of the camp is still Lake Good Turn, named for the Scout slogan: Do a good turn daily. It is much smaller than I remembered but just as picturesque. There was no lake on the site when the camp opened. At that time, Bayonne businesses pitched in to make improvements at the Camp. Exxon and its union laborers constructed the lake and
pumped water into it for that first season. It has filled naturally since then. The floats were pulled out of the water when I was there this summer, and there is a new swimming pool. Scouts are still taught to swim there, as I was in 1961. Fishing, boating, and canoeing are also offered.
Food Stuffs The dining hall also looked smaller, but it’s the same fieldstone building, opened in 1948, a gift of the Rosenthal family. Scouts still sing at most meals, and the Three Jolly Fishermen live on to entertain another generation of children. The food selection is much more varied than the hot dogs and burgers we lived on, and there are options for most diets. Traces of Bayonne throughout the camp include plaques in the dining hall commending the Bayonne Order of the Arrow; my pack, Pack 25; and the
UNICO plaque on the wall of the shower structure it donated. Exxon put a tiger in the camp’s tank by donating the Tiger Villa as well as two campsites, Tiger Heights and Upper Heights. The names of the campsites were familiar—Frontier, Pioneer, Wilderness— but the distances between them seemed much shorter. The campsites have not changed much with two-person platform tents, a campfire pit in the center, and scary noises in the night.
The More Things Change … It was refreshing to see no cable wires around the campsites. Nature walks remain popular, but there is more emphasis on STEM than on crafts. While I was proud of a plastic basket I’d weaved, the STEM sessions this year focused on how a pulley works, using a microscope to look at critters, and the engineering process, subjects more relevant to the modern day. The camp is in the middle of the woods, and there is exposure to various creatures, such as turtles, snakes, raccoons, and possums, which you don’t often encounter in Bayonne. Scouts also learn about plants and bugs, how to use a compass, read a map, build a fire, and other outdoor skills. For most of us, Camp Lewis was our first time away from our families. Naturally there was some homesickness. Today, the Cubs can camp with a parent. This is good on many levels, especially considering the longer working hours of many parents today. This gives the parent the chance to get away and spend time with the child.
Target Practice The first and last time I shot a BB gun or used a bow and arrow was at Camp Lewis. These facilities have been upgraded, and the equipment is new. These activities are done under adult supervision, and strict safety rules are followed. There is an athletic field with a backstop and a basketball court, but I wondered who would play baseball or basketball when there was so much more to do. As I left, I was in an upbeat mood. Camp Lewis had weathered well. I know my grandchildren would enjoy it just as much as I did when they get older. I think the Scouts are still worthwhile and relevant. A few of the counselors had mentioned that two of the most popular activities for the Scouts were fishing and frogging. I can’t think of a better place than Camp Lewis to look for frogs.—BLP
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from page 25
“With God’s Help We Go Forward” Trinity Parish in Bergen Point
An Episcopal congregation Holy Eucharist – 9:30 AM each Sunday Children’s Sunday School and child care Knitting Ministry – 2nd & 4th Saturday of each month Columbarium on site Mass on The Grass & Annual Parish Picnic Music Lessons through our mutual ministry with Grace Lutheran Church, Hand in Hand Music School
All Are Welcome & Invited to Our Communion Table
Madeline Fiadini LoRe MADELINE FIADINI LORE FOUNDATION FOR CANCER PREVENTION. In 2008, Madeline founded and became the Chairperson of the Madeline Fiadini LoRe Foundation for Cancer Prevention. A three-time cancer survivor, Madeline is passionate about preventing cancer. The foundation provides free cancer screenings to those individuals who “fall between the cracks” and are not covered by insurance. Madeline’s career of volunteerism began as a board member of Women Rising in Jersey City. This was followed by being a trustee of the Bayonne Medical Center Foundation for 16 years and a founding member of The Simpson Baber Foundation for the Autistic. As a result of her volunteer efforts, two major centers were opened at Bayonne Medical Center: The John C. Fiadini Outpatient Oncology Center, and the Madeline Fiadini LoRe Women’s Center. Madeline has been recognized for her community commitment countless times. Among her honors are Concerned Citizens Civic Achievement Award, The Girl Scouts of Greater Essex and Hudson Counties Woman of Distinction Award, the American Cancer Society’s Crimson Ball Honoree, Women Rising Award, All Saints Catholic Academy Community Leadership Honoree, Historical Society of Bayonne Leadership Award, and the Royal Hero recognition at Robinson School. She was named the GFWC Peninsula Women’s Club Woman of Achievement and Jersey City Council’s Woman of Action in 2015, Bayonne Chapter of UNICO 2016 Humanitarian of the Year, and was honored at the UNICO National Convention as the 2016 Cianci Humanitarian Award recipient. In 2019 Madeline received the Daryl Harrison Rand Leadership Award at the Hudson County Legends Ball and was the honoree at Metropolitan Family Health Networks 2019 gala.
Corner of 5th and Broadway Trinity Parish is the sponsor of the Windmill Alliance, Inc.
Plenty of on-site parking
201-858-4460
201-858-4460 | www.trinityparishbayonne.org
Quality Care…Right Here in Bayonne
The mission of the Bayonne Community Mental Health Center is to address the mental health care needs of the people of Bayonne and the surrounding communities.
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• Bereavement • Mens Group • Addictions Group
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bayonnementalhealth.org SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 31
Preserving and changing Bayonne
United Methodist Church
Story and photos by Pat Bonner
F
or the last few years there’s been a lot of talk about the new high rises and condos and how the expected influx of wealthy young professionals would change Bayonne. However, during the last decade or more, a different group of newcomers—Egyptians—is making its mark on Bayonne. Egyptians in most cases are preserving what we have and like but also transforming the footprint. If you buy coffee in the morning or newspapers or cigarettes or run out for a quart of milk at night, it’s likely that you bought these items from an EgyptianAmerican. From Hanna’s on First Street, to White Rose on 13th and the Boulevard, 2M on 30th and Broadway, or Sina America on 54th and the Boulevard, many Bayonne convenience stores are owned by Egyptian-Americans. At least three Egyptian-owned grocery stores selling fresh vegetables and fruit are on Broadway and Avenue C. They have taken over old stores or opened new ones. One of the benefits of living in a city is walkability. These Egyptian-American businesses are providing services within walking distance for most residents. Without them, many more empty storefronts on Broadway and elsewhere would mar the cityscape.
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Immigrant Origins Twenty-first-century immigrants are no longer drawn by one large company, like Standard Oil. But they are coming for jobs, many setting up their own businesses. One of the first Egyptians to settle in Bayonne is Khaled Aly. He arrived about 40 years ago and got a job at Judicke’s Bakery. He bought the bakery 20 years ago and kept all the recipes. It still specializes in European baked items and sweets. In a bow to the increasing Egyptian market, it also sells baklava on weekends. Another early settler is MagdyEl- Nagger who came to the United States in 1984. He bought a convenience store on 44th and Broadway in 1995 and continues to run it, seven days a week about 18 hours a day.
Christians and Muslims Coexist In Egypt, most of the population is Muslim. But in Bayonne, the large majority of Egyptians are Christian, called Coptics or Copts. The Coptic Church split from the Roman Catholic Church centuries ago over a difference in dogma. Most of the newer residents are Copts. This is because of recent discrimination in Egypt against Copts by the majority Muslims and an easing of immigration restrictions for Copts by our federal government. Most Egyptians in Bayonne show no prejudice
against their Muslim or Coptic neighbors, despite any discrimination in Egypt. Here, Muslim business owners freely employ Copts, and Coptic business owners freely employ Muslims.
Religion Rules Most Bayonne Egyptians are deeply religious. Father Bishoy Malek Sadek was sent to Bayonne in 2004 to set up a new parish, Virgin Mary & St. John Coptic Orthodox Church, for the burgeoning Coptic population. At first, he rented the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on 21st Street, and then he bought Friendship Baptist Church on 20th Street. He refurbished the old church and constructed a new one next door. It holds services in Arabic and English on Sundays in the two churches. There are 950 families in the parish. From the line of strollers outside the church on Sundays, it seems many of these families have babies or toddlers. The Bayonne skyline has been changed by the domes of St. Abanoub & St. Anthony, at the city line. This large church on the old Boulevard Pool site, serves Copts from Bayonne and Jersey City and has a summer festival attended by thousands. The Wesley United Methodist Church on 46th Street has been taken over by an Egyptian Protestant denomination. The building’s façade has not been changed, just the sign.
Finally a Mosque The Egyptian community has been in the news for the last five years due to the controversy over the new mosque. Since the summer of 2015 when the Bayonne Muslims group first floated the idea of building a mosque at 109 East 24th Street, there was opposition, often from some of Bayonne’s older immigrants. The Bayonne Zoning Board denied variances for it in 2017, but when the Bayonne Muslims filed a federal lawsuit, the city settled the case and allowed the project to move forward. Until the mosque is completed, the Muslim community uses the upper floor of the closed Frank South Cove Theatre for services. The mosque or masjid off Avenue F will have ample parking. It’s difficult to estimate the number of Egyptian Muslims living in Bayonne, but a rough guess is about 750.
As American as, well … Americans Some older residents may be put off by Arabic script on some of the businesses, but Egyptians are assimilating like generations of other immigrants. Boys play catch with an American football on 20th Street. Five young Egyptian Americans from the Virgin Mary parish joined the military last year. New residents have been very successful in academics at Bayonne High School. Each year about a third of the top ten students are Egyptian-Americans. These students are attending top Ivy League schools. For example, Nardeen Khella graduated from BHS in 2017 and headed to Princeton University to major in Molecular Biology.
SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 33
Ali Hassan may be typical of the younger generation. He came to the United States when he was 9. He assimilated quickly. He swam for the BHS team. He brags that he taught more than 100 people to swim while working at the 16th Street pool. After graduating from High Tech and St. Peter’s College, he worked for Goldman Sachs. He married, bought a house in Bayonne, and now has a three-month-old boy, Adam. Like everyone else, he has trouble finding a parking spot, but he likes living in Bayonne and intends to raise his family here.—BLP
United Methodist Church
Virgin Mary & St. John Coptic Orthodox Church
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The site of the new mosque at 109 East 24th St.
EDITOR’S LETTER BLP from page 10 Tara Ryazansky profiles an organization that also connects Bayonne to the rest of the nation. GRASP is a support group specifically for people who have lost loved ones to addiction. Bayonne, like every other town in the U.S., has been hit by the opioid crisis. GRASP provides a stigma-free zone for comfort and community. But Bayonne also loves looking back at its rich history. Pat takes a long stroll down memory lane, all the way to the Revolutionary War when Fort Delancey stood where 52nd Street is today. It’s a surprising yarn. Sports is big in this issue. We have a pro football player, a wheelchair boxer, and a profile of the Police Athletic League. On the off chance that chess is a sport, we also check in on the Recreation Department’s chess club. In the education department, Diana Scwaeble tosses the football with Superintendant John Niesz and spends an afternoon with BEN-TV’s film buffs. But, hey summer is on the way. Catch Pat’s story about Camp Lewis. Be prepared! It’s not just for Boy Scouts anymore! Be safe, be well, and be in touch.
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SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 35
HELPING
Addiction’s Greatest Toll Grieving loved ones find a safe space in Bayonne for comfort and community
Christina and Aurora
By Tara Ryazansky 2016 Franca Kirsch a devastating loss when her daughter, Christina Marie Kirsch, died at age 28. After months of grieving, Franca’s sister, Aurora Chiarella, attended a support group for bereaved parents. The two attended the group meeting together. Franca listened to the other members tell their stories about losing their children to car crashes or surgery gone wrong. One child perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Franca spoke about Christina, her only child who was a brilliant young woman who loved to read and write. She was an honor student at Holy
Insuffered
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Family who went on to graduate magna cum laude with a psychology degree from Pace University. When Franca told the group that Christina’s death was the result of a heroin overdose, she felt the mood of the room shift. “Christina passed away, just like the other children passed away,” Franca says. “That wasn’t any different. But everybody just looked at me like ‘What are you doing here?’ I never went back to that group again.”
No-Stigma Support This experience led Franca and Aurora to look into support groups specifically for those who have lost loved ones to addiction. They found out about a group called
GRASP, which stands for Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing. Franca found the specialized meetings incredibly helpful because the environment was free of the stigma she experienced in the previous group. Instead she felt acceptance. She says, “You find that you are not alone. Moms and dads need to come together to grieve with people who understand.” Unfortunately, there was no GRASP chapter in Hudson County. Franca and her sister attended the closest group meetings, in Freehold and Hamilton Township which meant that they traveled about an hour per meeting. “Many people have passed away from addiction in Hudson County,” Franca says, noting that she found it surprising that there were no similar meetings in the area. “You know and I know that Paterson and Newark are right across the river. It’s an epidemic that’s out there. It can happen in any neighborhood, and it’s happening all around the world.”
Yes, In Our Backyard Franca and Aurora decided to bring support to Hudson County. They started their own group at the Saint Vincent de Paul Church in Pastor, Reverend Sergio Nadres’s dining room adjacent to the church. The group was small. “Sometimes it was just me at those meetings, but I would stay until the very end,” Franca says. She wanted to be there for the entire meeting in case someone showed up at the last minute in need of support. For the group to grow and help more people, Franca and Aurora turned it into a GRASP chapter. The benefit in affiliating with this group, which has chapters across the United States and Canada, is that information about the meetings would be easy to find on the GRASP website and social media. Bayonne meetings are held on the third Sunday of each month. New members can sign up online at grasphelp.org. “Our group is to promote open healing and stop the
Franca and Christina
the location, GRASP in nondenominational and open to anyone who has lost a loved one to addiction.
Remembering Loved Ones
stigma, to honor and remember those who lost the battle with addiction,” Franca says. “As we experience a tragedy we feel compelled to reach out to others. It will never be the same. Christina is never coming back. Neither are these other children. This is to bring hope and healing.” Now about a dozen members meet. The group has moved to the St. Vincent’s meeting room, but despite
Franca hopes to keep Christina’s memory alive. “She was a very caring individual,” Franca says. “She would do anything for anybody. She would put herself on the back burner to help others. She worked with children who were severely disabled.” Christina worked at A. Harry Moore in Jersey City. “She was a big advocate of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital,” Franca says. To honor this, she holds a yearly fundraiser featuring spiritual medium, Rich Braconi who gives readings. “Fifty percent of the proceeds go to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in her memory,” Franca says. This year’s event will take place October 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Main Street Manor Bed and Breakfast in Flemington. “Addiction does not define who you are,” Franca says. “Christina had gotten hurt babysitting. She’d fallen and hurt her ankle. She started experimenting with her pain medication. That led to heroin, which led to an eventual
Christina’s college graduation
accidental overdose death. Her heroin was laced with fentanyl.” Talking is both hard and helpful. “I get it that people don’t want to talk about it,” Franca says. “These stories are wrenching. But this is a safe place for comfort. What you say in the group stays in the group. Talking helps.”—BLP
grasphelp.org/ hudson-county-chapter/
SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 37
JOHN NIESZ Athlete, coach, leader, the schools superintendent uses his powers for good By Diana Schwaeble Photos by Victor M. Rodriguez
I
t would be hard to miss John Niesz. He’s a tall, strapping man, who doesn’t need the pigskin in his hand to convince me that he’s a former footballer. On a recent winter afternoon, Niesz agreed to meet me at Veterans Stadium while doing the workout of his choice. A lineman in college, Niesz thinks it will be a good idea to throw the ball to me. After some laughs and realizing that I am no match for his skills on the field, Niesz makes a quick call and gets a few of Bayonne High School’s best football players down to the field. Two seniors answer the call, Danny Mcauliffe and Amin Mimouali. Watching them play, I realize not only do the players know that this is a great thing to be doing in the middle of the day; they know who the superintendent is, and they genuinely like him.
Fortuitous Football Niesz says that the football team was the first team he met in August, when he was hired. He was walking his dog around
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the field as the team was practicing. He’s easygoing and affable, but more important to the team, he looks like he’s having just as much fun on the field as they are. Going to school events is a priority for Niesz. “I’ve been to plays, baking competitions, choir—all that stuff,” Niesz says. “Every kid is different, and every kid just wants to have fun and have a purpose, you know?” Hearing Niesz tell his own story is a little like watching a game highlight. You see the moments that changed the outcome, but not the nail-biting angst on the sidelines when the other team is ahead—those moments when it wasn’t clear if your team was going to win. He discloses almost as an aside that he was formerly a police officer and left because of an injury. It’s only later that he says his neck was broken after he was T-boned in a car crash while on duty. Most would tell that story with a moderate amount of drama. But Niesz doesn’t feel sorry for himself.
A Day in the Life Niesz has a lot in common with some of the students he mentors. While executing a few plays on the field, he was completely
focused on the moment. How many adults can manage that for even five minutes? “It’s really easy, have fun with what you do,” Niesz says. “I know that’s like a cliché. Dick Vitale says if you have energy, enthusiasm, and excitement—those three E’s—you’re going to be the happiest person in the world. It’s 100 percent true.” Niesz’s enthusiasm is palpable as he invokes the famed basketball sportscaster. Niesz’s day begins at 5 a.m. when he walks his dog. Then he returns to his home garage, which he’s converted into a gym. He works out on an Elliptical, rower, treadmill, and rack system—exercises required to maintain mobility of the spine. Before his injury, he was a competitive cyclist. He hasn’t been on a bike since 2001, because he can’t look over his right shoulder to see oncoming cars. He acknowledges that not cycling is the worst part of the injury but adds philosophically, “It is what it is.” After he left the Freehold Police Department, he worked for Homeland Security. Then he got his teacher’s certificate and began teaching law enforcement. Later, he went back to school for a certificate in administration.
“I would take the baseball team out for batting practice during school,” Niesz said. “I don’t know who does that. You don’t think all the kids were looking out the window thinking, I want to do that? The team won the State Championship. Winning is fun and losing stinks.”
WORKING OUT WITH BLP
A Winning District
“Being in sports, being in the police department, and being a teacher, it’s all about being on a team,” Niesz says. “We have one purpose, and that purpose is to get everyone a great education.” Policing and teaching have other similarities: Protect and serve. Motivate and inspire. Niesz’s mission is to motivate. In his words, he wants the students to win. When he was assistant vice principal at St. John Vianney High School, he got the baseball team to the state championship.
Niesz plans to apply that same practical wisdom to the issues that need fixing in Bayonne. “We are going to do a district wide accreditation of all schools,” he says. “We believe in constantly improving. Getting the resources we need to improve our facilities. We have great facilities, but they are aging, and we need to work on our infrastructure. I’m just here doing my part that my predecessors worked really hard on.” As Niesz walks the hallways, fellow footballers wave with looks of pure admiration. “We just signed an agreement with an organization that’s going to provide free afterschool meals for all of our students here in Bayonne,” Niesz says. “They’re going to have a meal before doing their afterschool sports or activities. So instead of eating junk, it’s nutrition. It’s having structure and encouragement.” He adds, “Come back in about a year when we have many banners hanging here for state championships because all you have to do is get to one kid, and it breeds itself.”—BLP
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Barbara and Lee
By Tara Ryazansky Photos by Max Ryazansky
Skye Lofts South Usually downsizing is, well, a step down, but when Barbara and Lee Vargas gave up their Bayonne home for a new apartment at Skye Lofts South last December, they considered it a step up. The couple are lifelong residents of Bayonne who got together in high school. “We were homeowners here in Bayonne for 20 years,” Lee says. In that house they raised a daughter who is currently at Penn State and a son who now has a young son of his own. “Life has different phases and stages,” Lee says. “We just didn’t need a house anymore. We’re empty nesters. I remember this one time, while we were still at the house. Usually when you’re in a house full of people you have that background noise. Everybody was gone, and Barbara and I sat there, and it was like dead silence. It was weird.” “I did not like that,” Barbara says.
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What she did like were the changes that she had been noticing in Bayonne. Barbara works for National Construction Rentals, where she facilitates rentals of the temporary fencing that secures construction sites, so when a new building goes up, she’s usually one of the first to know. “Jimmy Davis is doing a wonderful job letting all of the development go on,” Barbara says. “It should have happened a long time ago.” The couple are well aware that a lot of Bayonnites aren’t as thrilled as they are with the abundance of development. “You’ll get some people who are longtime Bayonne residents who live in a box, who don’t tend to like change,” Lee says. “The problem is that if you don’t change with the times you get left behind. What’s happening here now should have happened 20 years ago when Hoboken was being developed. Bayonne’s the last community to start developing. People in Bayonne see what’s going on, and it’s hard for them to adjust because everything’s going up at one time.” “You get people who are in a bubble, but then you get people like us who are like, ‘Keep going, keep going’,” Barbara says. “People who I speak with in Bayonne, when I mention where I live, the question that they have is, ‘Is it affordable?’ Yeah it is.”
The Joy of Renting As former homeowners, they know that when taxes, maintenance, and repairs are factored in along with mortgage payments, they’re getting a steal now. They don’t have to shovel snow, fix the water heater, or worry about home security. Their packages are safely locked away with the virtual doorman, and there’s a gym on site. When the Vargases decided to move, they toured many of the new buildings in town. There were a few reasons that Skye Lofts South stood out. They thought that the spacious units were beautiful. They were attracted to the fact that the building developer, Mitch Burakovsky, is local. “Mitch and his family know Bayonne,” Lee says. “He’s a fixed person in the community. To me that says a lot.” Plus, the location was ideal. “This building is almost dead smack in the middle of Bayonne,” Barbara says. It’s minutes from her job. It’s close to their favorite restaurants. It’s steps from the 22nd Street Light Rail station. “What I really love is we go to the city a lot, and I jump on the light rail. It’s just right there.” The light rail station is perfectly positioned for people watching from their balconies. In the distance, the Freedom Tower is visible. The large glass doors leading out provide great light in the apartment along with the views. As the weather warms up, it could become a favorite feature of the space. But for now, Lee, who is semi-retired, likes the kitchen most. “Lee loves to cook,” Barbara says. “He went to culinary school. We’re always entertaining.” The open floor plan is perfect for parties and get-togethers. Lee isn’t hidden away while preparing the food. Instead, the neutral
grey kitchen with tons of storage and a gas range is the focal point of the home. The couple has decorated the space with an eclectic style. Old, family heirlooms mix well with modern furnishings and art that they’ve collected during their travels. The colorful artwork over their couch is from New Orleans. Barbara, who plays the sax, was attracted to the jazzy pieces. Next to the couch is a cabinet with mother-of-pearl details that belonged to Lee’s grandmother. It once held her sheet music. Now it’s a place to hide odds and ends like takeout menus. “Our thing is you have to support local business,” Lee says. “If you don’t, the town doesn’t move forward.” They’re happy to give their new neighbors recommendations, sending them to Boun Appetito for the best peach sangria in town or to Benanti’s for a great sandwich. Barbara and Lee have quickly fit in amid their diverse fellow tenants. They’ve met young professionals and new families, but so far, they’re the only Bayonne lifers. “Most people in this building are new to Bayonne,” Lee says. “We’ve met a person from Denver, a person from London. Bayonne is a diverse city. That’s the way it’s always been.” They see Skye Lofts as a diverse little community within the larger one. “Lee’s like the mayor,” Barbara laughs.—BLP
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B AY O N N E M E A N S B U S I N E S S provides. In addition to long-term care for seniors, it provides childcare services and respites for caregivers. Each situation is unique, and the staff will work to tailor services to clients’ needs. “Unfortunately, 50 percent of the people don’t really understand what we do,” Katz says. “We are hands on. We are there in the homes, to keep the homes going. Cooking, medical reminders, cleaning, appointments. That’s what we do. We take care of the daily life.”
A RESOURCE IN TIMES OF NEED Holstein and Katz opened their office in 2009, after facing life-altering transitions in their personal lives. Holstein’s wife Robin succumbed to cancer. Katz realized that homecare helped his father-in-law die with dignity. They decided it was their mission to help people through difficult times. Now open over a decade, they’ve helped thousands of families, says Holstein. With a staff of more than 125, they have caregivers to address specific needs. Sometimes, it’s not an elderly relative. Sometimes, it’s a sick child who needs a babysitter, and both parents work. “It’s a small fraction of our business, but we do childcare,” Katz says. “We actually do a lot of backup care for emergency needs.”
SENIOR SERVICES
Co-owners Casey Holstein (left) and David Katz
SYNERGY HOMECARE METRO NJ (973) 808-3475 Synergyhomecare.com By Diana Schwaeble Photos courtesy of SYNERGY HomeCare
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t’s never a good time to think about caring for an elderly or sick loved one. In fact, by the time a call is made, a person is usually stressed out and in crisis, says Casey Holstein, director of client relations and co-owner of SYNERGY HomeCare Metro New Jersey.
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It can be hard to determine what to do or even assess what needs to be done. The first thing Holstein does is listen. “We are good listeners,” he says. “We listen because they are in crisis basically. I don’t know if you have ever had to deal with elderly loved ones; it can be very fraying.” Co-owner David Katz, director of operations, says that people call because they’re looking for options. Previously, seniors went into nursing homes, but the modern way is to live those final years in your own home. He says that many people don’t know what his company does or the extensive services it
Caring for seniors can be a long process, but it doesn’t have to be as daunting. Katz says that they will do an initial evaluation for free. Not everyone becomes a client after an assessment. Sometimes people are weighing their options. It can be alarming for an adult child to see that elderly parents aren’t grooming like they used to or unable to keep up with housework. SYNERGY works to restore balance. “Our program keeps people more in line with what they are used to doing,” Katz says. “We come in, and we bring the fresh air and the life back into the home.” SYNERGY HomeCare Metro is a franchise with six offices in New Jersey and 165 nationwide. Because of the franchises, it can easily transfer care if someone moves, downsizes, or relocates to Florida during the winter. The company will remove the paperwork burden from families and do the long-term care insurance for them. More important, it provides support at all times. Calls are handled directly by staff all day and all night. “We never use an answering service,” Katz says. “If a client or a caregiver has a need, one of us will get back to them at any moment.” “Yes, it’s a business, but we come from the heart,” Holstein says. “We have a team of very dedicated people. Many of us have taken care of a loved one. Not only are we providers of the service, we are also caregivers.”—BLP
Ira and Michael Bologh
JERRY’S DRUG AND SURGICAL 455 Broadway (201) 339-1992 jerrysdrug.com Story and photo by Daniel Israel
J
erry’s Drug and Surgical, on the corner of Broadway and West 21st Street, has been the local family drugstore for more than 100 years since its founding in 1916. Since 1990, Ira Bologh and his son Michael have been helping the Bayonne community stay healthy. “Jerry’s is a throwback to the corner pharmacy that everyone remembers, where you’re not a number, but we know your name and you know ours,” Michael says. “And yet we have all the same technology as a modern pharmacy.” In contrast to its homey, mom-and-pop feel, Jerry’s Drug and Surgical is keeping up with the times. Michael says the store has a smart phone app that allows customers to fill prescriptions using their cell phones. The pharmacy can also fill prescriptions using its phone or computer as well as in person. Customers can have their prescriptions delivered right to their doorsteps. But despite the technology, the corner store still has that neighborhood drugstore feel as evidenced by the array of surgical equipment on display throughout the store. Jerry’s sells everything from hospital beds that allow
people to change positions at home, to wheelchairs and motorized wheel chairs, and chairs that help people recline and stand. “The equipment provides independence when people need some type of mobility aid to get around their house,” Michael says. There’s also an employee who will meet with potential customers at their homes to make sure that they get the mobility equipment that they need. Jerry’s offers vaccines for travel, flu, shingles, and pneumonia for customers and walkins throughout the year But it also has the fun stuff like greeting cards at 50 percent off and gifts for every holiday, all in the traditional spirit of a mom-andpop corner drugstore.
A FEEL FOR THE COMMUNITY When you walk into Jerry’s Drug, Michael matches the homey environment of his store with his warm personality. He’s been working at Jerry’s since 1990. Before working at the family business, he was a CPA. Ira, a career pharmacist, had been trying to talk Michael into working at the store. “We used to talk a lot about the business, and he wanted me to join for quite a few years,” Michael says. After he decided to stop working for other people, Michael says he found value in being part of the healthcare system. He was drawn to the idea of a corner drugstore where local customers know the pharmacists, and the pharmacists know the customers by name.
“After working for a corporation, it’s a wonderful change to do something where you’re helping people and working for yourself,” Michael says. Michael says that the store’s relationship with the community is reciprocal and very rewarding for both sides.
SUPER STORE IN A SUPERSTORM During Superstorm Sandy, Jerry’s Drug was committed to helping the Bayonne community get its medications, even when the power went out. Amid the chaos of the storm, Michael says the store was able to get a generator set up on the sidewalk to fill prescriptions during the power outage. “You could see the gratitude on people’s faces, that even though everything else was down, they could at least still count on us and get their medicine,” Michael says. Jerry’s couldn’t bill insurance, but they were still able to fill prescriptions. That act of good faith extends to the programs that Jerry’s runs to benefit the Bayonne community. One program that Jerry’s Drug operates year-round is the distribution of free children’s vitamins to all kids ages two through 12. Those interested don’t have to be customers. Nor do they need to buy anything. Recipients need only be parents looking to help their children grow up healthy. Says Michael,“It’s just another way of helping out the community.”—BLP SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 43
B AYO N N E By Pat Bonner Photos courtesy of PAL
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f you are of a certain age and grew up in Bayonne, when you hear the letters PAL, you think of two things: boxing and boys basketball. However, I recently visited the Police Athletic League at its headquarters at the Midtown Community School on 23d Street and found that it had changed considerably from the program that was started more than 60 years ago. Its popular after school program has become the largest in the area and an affordable lifeline for many of Bayonne’s working parents. The Police Athletic League was launched shortly after World War II by members of the Bayonne Police Department. Jerry Clougher, a prominent local sportswriter, started the afterschool program in 1975 in the old PAL Building on Avenue A between 23rd and 24th Streets. The old PAL Building was demolished in 1992, and the program was moved to what is now known as the William Shemin Midtown Community School. CARE AND COMPETENCE The nonprofit afterschool program has grown from 35 children in 1975 to more than 200 today. The BPD remain big supporters. The program is run by a professional staff led by Executive Director K.T. Torello and Program Director Morgan Hull. They provide care and competence in supervising a group of kids from ages 4 to 13 who have a lot of energy to burn off after a day at school. The competence
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Mayor Davis helps out.
Meeting a
MODERN
NEED and doing it well
is easy to document. The staff are trained in CPR and first aid, are fingerprinted, and have completed at least some child care courses online through Penn State. A number are elementary school teachers. I witnessed the care part by seeing KT interact with the children in a number of minor crises such as a lost phone, bathroom accident, and the like. KT has been with the program for 30 years, and his patience is remarkable. Diane Torello, Chief Financial Officer, has been with the program for 32 years. Morgan Hull, today a Jersey City teacher, started in the program when she was 4 and has risen through the ranks to the number three position. Angie Fearon, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, is another veteran who has been with the program for 20 years. She’s also a Bayonne teacher. OPEN FOR BUSY-NESS On school days, the center operates from 2:30 to 6 p.m. When the schools have a half day, the hours are from noon until 5:30 p.m., and a hot lunch is provided. The center is open on school holidays and provides a full day program. Buses pick up the children at all Bayonne’s elementary schools and bring them to the Shemin School. Parents can drop off and pick up their children provided the staff is informed. The first order of business is afternoon snack. This is usually something healthy, and the time in the cafeteria allows the kids to let off steam and be a little loud. At least, that’s how it sounded to me. They group the children by ages and gender. Boys ages 10, 11, 12 and 13 are together as well as a separate group of girls in those
Art supplies are readily available. age groups. Separate groups for boys and girls ages 7, 8 and 9. Children ages 4, 5 and 6 of both genders are together. The groupings facilitate friendships and shared interests. Since the children come from all over the city, they have an easier transition in high school. They already know many of their new classmates. THE DOG ATE MY … Following the snack comes the most popular activity for working parents. They can sign up to have their children do their homework at the program: One less thing for parents to worry about at home after a hard day at work. The children go to a classroom for 60 minutes or whatever the parents choose and do their homework under the supervision of a Bayonne teacher.
The gym is available for running around and playing basketball, monitored by a number of young assistants. The gaming rooms are very popular, primarily with boys it would appear. Two rooms with computers and video screens mesmerize young boys. Art supplies are readily available. While I was there, pre-teen girls were being helped by a teacher to make some sort of Valentine’s Day project with bright red hearts. Yoga is also a popular activity with girls. In nice weather, the kids play in the schoolyard. TEACHABLE MOMENTS The center is supported by the state, and the fees are geared to income. If the parent’s income is below a certain level, and the parent is working or going to
school, the parent may be eligible for a subsidy from the Urban League of Hudson County, with the parent contributing a nominal copay. PAL also operates a very popular summer camp program. This runs for eight weeks from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day. This includes meals and activities. Last year, about 300 children attended. PAL also runs trips to fun spots, like the Seaside Heights Boardwalk. I left the center in an upbeat mood. One of the minor crises KT solved was that of a little girl about 8. She’d received two candy bars, rather than one from the machine and didn’t know what to do with it. KT commended her for her honesty and said he would give the extra candy bar to some child who really needed it. She left happy, and I did too. —BLP
Today, more than 200 kids participate in the program. SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 45
CHECK
M AT E S By Tara Ryazansky
Photos by Max Ryazansky
C
Carsten Hansen
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arsten Hansen has competed in professional chess tournaments all over the world, across Europe and the former Soviet Union as a World Chess Federation Master level player. Today he stares down a very different opponent. On the other side of the board is a kid from Bayonne. Hansen leads the Recreation Chess Club that meets every other Saturday at the Bayonne library. Hansen learned to play chess when he was five. His father was a highly skilled player who founded his local chess club in Denmark where Hansen grew up. Hansen was good, but it was sibling rivalry that inspired him to push himself further. “I started taking it seriously when my brother won a prize in a tournament, and I didn’t win a prize,” Hansen,
who was ten at the time, says. Once he devoted himself to chess he got very good very quickly. “When you can beat all the adults in the local chess club, and you go on to compete in all the tournaments, and you’re winning those as well, that’s motivation.” As he was finishing up business school he wanted to try to play professionally. “My parents were of the opinion that I should have a regular job, but I wanted to play first and see how far it would take me,” he says. Otherwise, I would regret it for the rest of my life.”
Back in Bayonne He enjoyed traveling, but eventually he burned out. “I nearly gave up playing chess altogether,” he says. “I’d had enough. I came home, and my dad convinced me that I still had some obligations to the local chess club. They had supported me, so I was like, ‘Ok I am going to show up for
the games.’ It was when my opponents thought that they could beat me that I got motivated again.” Now, he mostly plays chess online, when he isn’t playing with his students to train them in tactical skills. “I enjoy teaching the way to play chess to children,” Hansen says. “The more they enjoy chess the happier I am with that.” Hansen’s students are ages 6 and up. Some just know the basics, while others are intermediate players who show promise. “Some younger players have this intuitive idea of where the pieces are going,” he says. “They spot tactical opportunities really quick. That’s typically what separates weaker players from stronger players. That’s something I am teaching the kids here, to spot where the weak pieces are and to take advantage of it.”
EDUCATION BLP Students are ages six and up.
ONLINE ACADEMY He also runs an online academy. “It’s for very strong players,” he says. “We have three different levels.” The course is called 12 Weeks to Better Chess. “Twelve weeks doesn’t sound like a long time, but if you put in the hours you can get really good really fast. Some of the participants who put in the work experience explosive growth. Even after playing for 30 or 40 years, they’re like, ‘I never knew I can get this good!’” Hansen is also a prolific writer on the topic of chess. “My 30th book is coming out this coming week,” Hansen says. “I could write another 100 books and not be done with what is in my head. Even though I haven’t been playing at the board at tournaments, I still find joy in making discoveries. Sometimes I’m sitting and working on something, and I get an idea, and I sit and analyze it, and my wife she’s like, ‘Carsten are you ever coming to bed?’ I’m sitting and scribbling or at the computer, and all of a sudden I have the structure for a new book.” Most of Hansen’s books are designed for advanced players, but his latest work is for intermediate players. “I’m teaching them more about tactical ideas and how to spot tactical opportunities,” he says. The book is titled Chess Tactics for Improvers Volume 1. “There are 808 puzzles in this book at different levels of difficulty, but all of them relatively easy.”
Rooks for Rookies Volume 2 is in the works. “Sometimes, if undisturbed I can write a book in a couple of weeks,” he says. “I have another book coming out for beginners,” His young students inspired him to
write for newer players. They also serve as test subjects for his books. Each class starts with puzzles that might be included in the upcoming book. “Some of the puzzles are very elementary, and then I am building on how the pieces are moving, how the pieces are interacting and what squares they can go to, which pieces can capture each other, and from there which pieces are loose, which ones are not protected. Then we move on to simple tactics. That’s how I learned myself. The puzzles are not going to be too difficult, but still they are going to challenge them. They like to win, but they don’t like for it to be too easy.”—BLP
“The more they enjoy chess the happier I am with that,” Hansen says.
To try some puzzles check out: Twitter- @cazhansen Instagram- @chansen64 Facebook CommunityWinning Quickly at Chess
SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 47
EATERY BLP
Bartender David Soto
By Tara Ryazansky Photos by Max Ryazansky
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iccolino’s Ristorante, on Broadway between 25th and 26th Streets, is an old-school Bayonne restaurant in all the best ways. It’s a great place to enjoy Italian favorites like spaghetti bolognese and red wine. “I would describe it as a cozy restaurant,” says manager Sebastian Sota who’s been working at Piccolino’s for four years. “It’s classic Italian.”Sebastian knows that there’s no shortage of excellent Italian cuisine in Bayonne. But he says that there’s something that sets Piccolino’s apart from the rest: “The food and our service,” he says. “We try to do something a little different.” The cocktail menu is one example. Bartender David Soto, Sebastian’s brother, mixes up creative beverages. Try the Cucumber Fields. This drink blends vodka with house-made cucumber syrup, Saint Germain, and pineapple juice. “It’s very refreshing,” Sebastian says. If you like mescal, try the Di Piccolino Margarita. It’s a little bit smoky and not too sweet. Today’s drink special is the New York Sour, a mix of Johnny Walker Red, mole
bitters, and frothy egg whites. “I learned a lot from working in Manhattan,” David says. “He tries to do fresh drinks,” Sebastian says. “With the new buildings coming in we try to be creative.” Happy Hour is on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 3-7 p.m. This includes wine and beer—Stella Artois, Goose IPA and Shock Top on tap—and sangria along with inventive mixed drinks.
The menu keeps it classic, with a focus on fresh ingredients. Sebastian says that his favorite dish is the Filet of Sole Francese. The pan-seared fish, bathed in a lemon and wine sauce, is one of the most frequently ordered items. Another popular choice is the Chicken alli Luigiana. The parmesan-crusted chicken is stuffed with ricotta, prosciutto, and spinach with a lemony sauce; it comes with mashed potatoes. All entrees come with a side of SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 49
EATERY BLP
David Soto
Piccolino’s 552 Broadway (201) 436-8800 piccolinoristorante.com
Manager Sebastian Soto (left) with his brother David
veggies and sweet croquets, made from polenta. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, they are a signature addition. The restaurant features daily specials. Today, a filet mignon in a red wine reduction sauce is on the list. The large portion comes with asparagus and mashed potatoes.
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Piccolino’s makes all desserts on the premises. Some are prepared tableside, like the Strawberry Jubilee. David fires up a burner and adds butter and strawberries in a pan. He pours in a medley of spirits, shooting flames up to the ceiling. He theatrically peels an orange, douses it with Grand Marnier, and sets it ablaze. He shakes cinnamon into the fire, which creates dancing embers and then pours the concoction over vanilla ice cream. Watching the pyrotechnics is a fun experience, and the result is delicious. The classic Tartufo and Italian cheesecake are great as well. As a finale, enjoy a wide range of espresso drinks, liqueurs, and cordials. Piccolino’s has a private party room that seats up to 80 guests for birthdays, weddings, and other events. Folks throwing today’s baby shower made the space their own with personalized décor and favors. Piccolino’s offers special menu deals for private parties and prix fixe menus for holidays like Mother’s Day and Easter. It also plans to mark a major milestone soon. “Piccolino’s is going to be 13 years old,” Sebastian says. “We’re going to have 50 percent off entrees to celebrate the anniversary.”—BLP
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SPRING 2020 ~ BLP• 51 BayonneChamber.org
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