Livingston Mom Publishes Book on Daughters Health Challenges
By Megan Roche
After giving birth to her second child, Jane Fischer’s life became about doctors appointments, hospital stays, and medical testing. Jane’s daughter, Suzy, was born with a vast array of medical issues, including extra digits (fingers) on both hands; her head was out of proportion to her body size, she had a poor suck, and severe jaundice.
“After a few hours of giving birth, I was told about all the obvious anomalies, but the haunting question was, “What did it all mean, and now what?” One can imagine a young mother’s shock and pain to realize that her precious new baby had so many problems and her fate and destiny was so questionable?? On July 18, 1974, a whole new world, one which I never chose to enter or thought I would be travelling opened its doors and submerged us in a completely foreign land. I did not know the language, the people, the geography or the underpinnings; however, the only thing that was certain was we had to travel and sojourn into this uncharted territory,” Jane said.
Through doctor visits and specialist visits, many in the medical field were trying to prepare the Fischer’s for the worst. Doctors encouraged Jane to find a residential facility to place Suzy in for fear of lack of attention on her other child and husband.
“My first and quite frankly, my only thought was, “Are they kidding??” She is my baby, and whatever we must do, wherever we have to go, whomever we have to see, we are
continued on page 4
Jane and Suzy Fischer are a very close mother/daughter duo. Jane recently published a book on Suzy’s health challenges.
Livingston Youth Organization for Human Services partners with Presbyterian Church of Livingston
By Steve Sears
Presbyterian Church of Livingston and the Livingston Youth Organization for Human Services (LYOHS) have partnered on a few programs to serve the community.
Pastor Dan Martian of Presbyterian Church of Livingston initially met Matthew Zhang, founder and former President of the LYOHS, who has now been succeeded by his brother Daniel.
Pastor Martian said, “Daniel contacted me last year about doing a bake sale at the church, and we did one for the Thanksgiving holiday, and we did another before the Christmas holiday. It worked out fabulous.”
The first of two sales, both benefitting the Newark Bistro Soup Kitchen, was held on November 26, 2023, and the second on December 3, 2023. Over $600 was raised. LYOHS members then visited the Presbyterian Church of Livingston again on March 17 of this year and made more than 600 peanut butter sandwiches that were donated also to the Newark Bistro Soup Kitchen.
The LYOHS is now in its fifth year. Daniel Zhang is now a sophomore at Livingston
High School, and after his brother handed off leadership of the LYOHS to him, his first task was to assemble an Executive Team.
He said, “I went around to my fellow peers and classmates, and I asked them questions about where they are at with community service and what qualifications that they have. And based on that, I recruited a lot of peers and friends to come on the Board.”
Zhang and his group met early in the school year to discuss future events. There will be much on tap, but first the LYOHS had to ramp up its Community Ambassador Team.
Zhang said, “Our ambassador program is essentially volunteers. I think we have about 40 ambassadors, but we want to start recruiting more, and that was one of the topics of discussion at our meeting. Last year, we did not do many events, and they were mainly within the Board. Potentially, we are aiming for about 80 ambassadors, and then all of our events will essentially encompass the ambassadors. We really believe that we need to start giving opportunities for community service. Community service is really valuable; while you are serving the
Members of the Livingston Youth Organization for Human Services make sandwiches for the homeless
community, your community is growing, and you are growing as a person, because you are getting all these skills, and you are gaining compassion for people who are in need.”
Pastor Martian said, “There are good young people that are doing fantastic, philanthropic, altruistic things that are really
giving a good name to the young people of today. They are doing it out of the goodness of their heart to help other people out to be a blessing to other people.”
For more information about the Livingston Youth Organization for Human Services, visit https://livingstonyohs.org/.
(courtesy of the LYOHS)
Mom Publishes Book...
there. Everyone in the family would receive the necessary attention, but Suzy was my child, and while I didn’t know the plan of attack, I knew we were going to begin a battle of a lifetime, -and fight we did,” Jane says.
Throughout the journey that the Fischer’s went on, Jane felt compelled to write a book on Suzy’s real life medical story.
“In our book you will read about all the trials and tribulations this incredible young woman faced and how she defied the odds, amazed all the biggest doctors, specialists, educators, and other professionals in the field through sheer will, tenacity, gumption , courage, bravery, while always maintaining the purest form of goodness, sweetness, and purity of soul,” Jane said.
While she beat the odds as a youngster, Suzy underwent another round of medical challenges in her early 20s. After experiencing extreme fatigue and being unable to balance her daily routine,
Suzy went through a variety of tests that revealed she had end-stage renal disease. Suzy began dialysis treatment while her family searched for a kidney.
Through two kidney transplants and a bout of thyroid cancer, Suzy remained positive. That positive spirit led Jane down the road to writing a book.
“As I watched her undergo countless surgeries, excruciating tests and procedures, unimaginable amount of doctors’ visits, medication, medical events, I continue to be amazed and mystified by her indominable spirit and her ability to reach out and try to help everyone around her feel more comfortable and assured. While some of the most prominent professionals are astounded by her ability to help others with their trials and tribulations, they are also in awe of her ability to spread love, joy, acceptance, and most of all belief, trust and friendship to everyone and anyone who crosses her path,” Jane said.
Jane’s book, If You Knew Suzy: Pushing Past the Boundaries of Never, is available on Amazon.com.
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Michael Ruane, United States Army Veteran, Proudly Gives Back to the Country He Loves
By Steve Sears
Michael Ruane sat back at a conference table seat in his office at the Information Age (InfoAge) Science & History Museums in Wall Township and reflected on his family’s history in the country he has a loved and served for, the United States of America.
“The army,” he said, “was my way of repaying back.”
Ruane, 82, was in the United States Army for 30 years, attaining the rank of Colonel. He received an ROTC commission at South Orange’s Seton Hall University and exited the school as an Armor First Lieutenant. He was an Infantry officer and for over thirteen years was a company, battalion, and brigade commander. He served a year in Korea, and his service also includes commanding two Light Infantry companies in Vietnam in the 196th Light Infantry Brigade. Ruane is also a graduate of the Army’s Command and General Staff College, and his certifications received are for Total Quality Management, Mediation, and Risk Communications. Extensively trained in counterterrorism and emergency management, Ruane is certified as a US Department of Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) “Train–the-Trainer.”
For his service, Ruane was awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
Ruane said, “My parents were immigrants. My mom
came here in 1923 when she was 16 years old, and she had a suitcase with $25 in it. My dad came in 1930. Both came from the west of Ireland, which was very poor at that time; my mother from Roscommon, my father from Galway. They met in about 1938, and they married 1940.”
Ruane was born in July 1942. His father, in his 30s, did not serve in World War II, but worked on the railroad. His cousins and uncles, however, did serve in World War II. In fact, his cousins from Ireland, who fought in World War I, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and fought for the United States in World War II.
Ruane was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of InfoAge Science & History Museums - which is located within the aged buildings of Historic Camp Evans - from 2006 to 2018, and is currently its Chief Executive Officer.
“I love this,” Ruane said of InfoAge. Incorporated in 1999, its first exhibit was unveiled in 2005. InfoAge is one large museum complex of 20 (soon to be 22) mini museums and exhibits (a lot of it military-related) in 16 historic buildings. “I have been involved in this place since 1995.”
Ruane, who is lives in West Long Branch with his wife, Barbara, and has seven children and ten grandchildren, said, “It was like the military was always there, but for me, it was important. What the United States gave to my parents and enabled them to do and be helped, meant so
Michael Ruane (courtesy of Michael Ruane) much. They came from nothing. They had three children, and all three children went to college, and all three children had good careers.”
By Richard Mabey Jr.
Now, at 71, I find myself dreaming more and more about moments that I shared with my paternal grandfather, Watson Mabey. I walked the forest path with Grandpa, from the end of Mabey Lane to the tow path of the old Morris Canal, over a hundred times in my childhood and youth. During the Summer of 1965, when I was just 11 years old, Grandpa and I came across the Magnificent Buck, on one of our walks to the old Morris Canal. It was a moment that, to this day, holds a dear and precious place in my heart.
I grew up in the old Mabey Homestead, that my great grandfather, William Mabey, built in 1890. On Thanksgiving Day, Dad’s sister and seven brothers, with their spouses and children, would gather at the old farmhouse, to feast and have heart-felt fellowship.
My paternal grandmother, Bertha Mabey, would peel apples for apple pie, very early in the morning. While the women cooked in the kitchen, Dad and his brothers would gather around in the big, enclosed front porch and tell tales of deep sea fishing excursions, grand adventures of hunting, and fond remembrances of growing up together. And, in this mist of all this, Grandpa would sit in his easy chair, in the living room, with all of his grandchildren sitting on the floor at his feet, and tell stories of working on the old Morris Canal.
There was something very different about Grandpa’s tales that he told in the morning of the Thanksgiving of 1967. I was 14 years old at the time and in my freshman year at Boonton High School. I was a sensitive boy and was gifted with a certain amount of intuition about things.
Grandpa Mabey’s Last Thanksgiving
Grandpa had just had a stroke, a few months prior to that Thanksgiving Day. For all practical purposes, the stroke left his left arm almost useless. But Grandpa did his best to hide it.
Usually Grandpa would tell stories of his remembrances of working as the Chief Engineer of Incline Plane Ten East, which was located at the Towaco and Lincoln Park border, along the old Morris Canal. But this particular Thanksgiving morning, Grandpa talked a lot about Heaven. He told us that he had a good friend in Jesus. And, he talked a lot about his brother Earl, who was killed in battle in France, during World War I.
Grandpa spoke of angels, how they would visit him at night time. There was a solemn, reverent quality to Grandpa’s stories, during that Thanksgiving monring of 1967. It was mixed with a bit of sadness.
I remember Grandpa spoke of the Majestic Buck, as he called the wonderful, magnificent, mystical buck that walked the forest behind the old Mabey Homestead. He talked of a time, when he was younger and had the giant buck lined up in the scope of his rifle, but could not find it within himself to pull the trigger. Grandpa would often say that the Majestic Buck was a true mystical beast.
We used to eat our big Thanksgiving feast at about two o’clock in the afternoon. Grandpa always sat at the head of the dining room table and the three or four additional folding tables that were set up, from the dining room and onto the formal living room.
I remember that halfway through his Thanksgiving prayer, Grandpa began crying. It was the one and only time that I ever saw my grandfather cry. As tears flowed down his cheeks, he asked God to bless each and
every one of us at the table.
On the seventeenth of May of 1968, the angels called Grandpa Home to Heaven’s Gate. That was over 56 years ago. Since the day Grandpa passed, I don’t think a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about him.
I loved him with all my heart. Now at 71, I still mourn for my beloved grandfather. I still miss him very much. I would give up my entire collection of antique books and my whole comic book collection, to have just 10 minutes to once again talk with that dear,
wonderful, kind old man.
Love those near and dear. Hold them precious in your heart. Forgive them of every wrong they may have ever done to you. Cherish every moment with the people you love and care for. For none of us have a written guarantee for tomorrow.
Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He hosts a YouTube Channel titled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@gmail.com.
This picture was taken on Thanksgiving Day of 1967. Grandma and Grandpa with their dog, Little Pixie, seated with their nine children behind them. Standing from left to right: Carl, Gerald, Edward, William, David, Dad, Violet, Earl and Harold.
By Richard Mabey Jr.
As I write the words for this essay, I have become more and more acutely aware of my physical failing. For it was only two years ago, that I walked and cared for over a dozen wonderful dogs in my little community. It was common for me, to walk five or six miles a day, walking my fur-lined friends, while their mommies and daddies were away visiting their adult children. Now, when I walk around the block, I become all so winded, the chest pains prevail. I am becoming more and more aware that it’s the ninth inning, the last scene of Act III of the play.
I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination. My father once told me that God had given me a very precious gift, to put words down on paper. He told me that it was my job to develop it, to hone it, to fine tune it. I truly hope that I have not let my father down.
When I was two years old, my father built a little desk for me. Dad built a chalkboard onto it. My mother once told me that when I was just two years old, as she would cook supper, I would write down stories on my little desk, drawing stick figures. I never chose to be a writer, God chose for me to be a writer. I have no doubt about that.
There are too many people to thank. Without whom, I would be nothing. I would have been a piece of driftwood, bobbing up and down out in the darkness of the deep blue sea. I started writing articles for the Lincoln Park Herald, when I was 12 years old. I started writing them from a hospital bed at the Barnert Hospital in Paterson, while I was battling a case of full-blown Rheumatic Fever.
In 1971, when my friends were attending prestigious
If This Be My Destiny
universities, far from Lincoln Park, I humbly worked at the A&P grocery store, attended County College of Morris and wrote stories and articles for Youngtown Edition.
To Professor John Keeler, wherever you may now be, I earnestly thank you for all your kind advice. You told me to forget about writing about the great white whale, but rather to write about the little town I loved so much, the people I knew, and the old farmhouse that my Great Grandpa built. It’s a debt I can only recognize, but never repay.
In 1977, in a small town in West Virginia, I attempted to be a successful chiropractor. But I failed miserably. I was dirt poor, had only four or five patients, wasn’t eating right and living in tight quarters of a back room of a store front office. The strep throat came and once again, I came down with Rheumatic Fever.
Returning to the old farmhouse on Mabey Lane, I fell into a deep, deep sleep. And in that deep sleep, I felt the unmistakable spiritual presence of Thomas Wolfe. And the endearing Southern gentleman, simply whispered to me, “write the stories of these people, whom you love so much.”
To all of my dear and precious readers, I share these heart-felt words. Do not ever let anyone kill your dreams. Walk away from your harsh critics. Believe in yourself. Dig deep to find your purpose upon this earth. Always give it 110 percent. Never, ever give up. Always remember, failure is not an option. Love, love, love the people in your life. Forgive, forgive, forgive. Never stop forgiving those who have done you wrong. Hold dear this eternal truth, love is the most powerful force in the universe. Love God with
all your heart, mind and soul. And, love all, even unto the creatures of the forest.
Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. His second book is presently at the printer. He hosts a YouTube Channel titled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@gmail.com.
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Yours truly at two years old, writing at the desk that my dear, kind father built for me.
US Army Field Band Provides Music Across the Nation
By Megan Roche
One may think that the Army is just a military institution, where everyone gets deployed and goes to war, but those people would be wrong. Members of the US Army Field Band serve as soldiers, all while playing their instruments and using their voices.
“One of the biggest things that they stress to us in the beginning is that yes, we are musicians but first and foremost you are a soldier. Every single person that you see in this unit has been through basic combat training, they signed a contract that didn’t necessarily say, ‘I’m signing up to be a musician’, we all sign up to be a soldier,” Staff Sergeant Emily Perkins said.
The Army Field Bands are made up of five different groups; the US Army Field Band, the Jazz Ambassadors, the Army Rappers, the Soldiers Chorus, and the Six-String Soldiers. Each group performs around the country, in different areas, throughout the year.
Perkins, who is a vocalist with the Jazz Ambassadors, didn’t see herself getting into the military early on in her career.
“I just really was impressed when I learned about the mission of military bands and how they serve. You get to serve your country but also get to do something that is a huge passion. For me, I was really attracted to the dual aspect of it, feeling like I was a part of something bigger than myself and wearing the uniform that heroes have worn before me, but also getting to do something that I’ve been doing since I was five or six
years old,” Perkins said.
While performing free concerts around the country is a big part of the Army Field Band’s mission, so is getting in front of youngsters and encouraging them to consider the military as part of their future.
“Everything we do is free to the American public. If a music educator wants us to come out and do a clinic with his kids, we are world class musicians that he doesn’t need to pay for us to come to do a clinic. We’re just happy to get there and do that for these kids,” Perkins said.
Each show by each group is different but ultimately focuses on telling the story of the military through music.
“We all tell the story of our Army in our performances and really make it a point to honor our veterans in the process. It’s one of the best kept secrets and hidden gems that the Army has to offer. People don’t realize all the things that bands do and the kind of scenarios they can enter that a lot of other parts of the military can’t be involved in,” Perkins said.
In between practices, rehearsals, and a busy touring performance schedule, the members of the group still must maintain Army standards in physical readiness. They also attend briefings and seminars on issues facing today’s military.
Performance schedules for each group vary, as the Jazz Ambassadors are currently on a tour throughout the southeastern US. For more information on all the groups and to see performance schedules, visit www. armyfieldband.com
Emily Perkins performs with the US Army Field Band, Jazz Ambassadors
By Steve Sears
FUnited States Army Veteran Publishes First Novel
rancine Pozner Ehrenberg knew it was time to get words between covers.
Her words.
The Randolph, New Jersey resident – a proud United States Army veteran and Vice Commander of Chester’s American Legion Post 342 - in April published her first novel, “America’s Candidate,” and in October had her first ever book signing in Mendham at Chapter One Book Store. Ehrenberg said, “I began writing it as my New Year’s resolution in January. That is when I first started typing it, and I finished it in April. I could not believe it; I never thought I would do this or get to this point. I have never written a book before, and I had never really done anything except write a few poems as a kid. The idea of even writing a book, eventually publishing it, and having a physical copy in my hand in itself was unbelievable to me. So, to get to the point where I am actually at a store, and people are purchasing my book and asking me to sign it, is beyond anything I ever could have thought would happen for me.”
Ehrenberg, a graduate of both Rutgers Law School and the Civil Affairs Advanced Course at the JFK Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was a Major in the United States Army (she was in the military for 12 ½ years) Judge Advocate General’s Corp. During deployment in Albania as part of Operation Cornerstone, she served as the advisory liaison between civilian officials and multinational military forces. While in the Army, Ehrenberg was also company commander of the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion and served as an International Law Officer, Command Judge Advocate, and Trial Defense lawyer. Her civilian career
resume lists serving 20 years with the Supervising Deputy Attorney General, and the Deputy Bureau Chief of the Financial and Computer Crimes Bureau of the Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Criminal Justice.
Ehrenberg’s family is well-decorated with military service veterans. She said, “My father was in the Korean War, and my father-in-law received the Distinguished Flying Cross in the Korean War. We also have four uncles who were in the military. We are a real military family, so there is nothing but joy and pride.”
Ehrenberg said that her career, in particular being a defense attorney in the military and then being a prosecutor as a civilian, really helped her understand not how to be a good writer, but just to be a person who sees all sides of everything.
Ehrenberg said, “You really get a perspective to be more sort of well-rounded, and just see things from all perspectives and really view the role, maybe not very narrowly, but really broadly. I really feel like every everything I have done has really lent itself to becoming a writer.”
And Ehrenberg is not finished – and there are folks who are thankful for that. She said, “I am thinking of a sequel. The people who have read the book are almost demanding
a sequel, which is wonderful. I love it when they call me up and say, ‘But you have to. You cannot just leave me hanging. You have to write a sequel’ So, I am working on that.”
“America’s Candidate” is available at allauthor.com/ amazon/90735/. For more information, visit https:// ehrenberg1.allauthor.com/.
Francine Pozner Ehrenberg’s debut novel, “America’s Candidate” (Credit: Francine Pozner Ehrenberg)
Francine Pozner Ehrenberg (Credit: Francine Pozner Ehrenberg)
By Elsie Walker
Can a shoebox change a child’s life? An Operation Christmas Child box can. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an organization which reaches out to needs around the world. Through Samaritan Purse’s Operation Christmas Child drive, shoeboxes with small items like toys, pencils, pads, and other things are collected and given out to needy, many times forgotten, children internationally. A local church in the country delivers the boxes and makes a connection with the children.
November 18-25 is the collection week for this year’s Operation Christmas Child boxes and several local churches are acting as drop-off locations. For more information on Operation Christmas Child, ages of children, what to put in a box, suggested postage donation and the drop-off locations and times, visit www.samaritanspurse.org and scroll down its homepage to Operation Christmas Child. There are dropoff locations in Roxbury, Mt. Arlington, Oak Ridge, Livingston, Wayne, Washington, and more. Recently, some of the coordinators at drop-off locations and a participant talked about the program.
Amanda Blewitt, of Stanhope, is the Drop-off Team Leader at The Ledgewood Baptist Church in Roxbury. Blewitt talked about what inspired her to be involved in Operation Christmas Child.
“The first thing that drew me to Operation Christmas Child was being able to give children who had nothing a gift for Christmas in Jesus’ name. However, this has grown to such a deeper meaning. Many of these children are unseen, unheard, and feel insignificant in this world. Most of these children don’t have any belonging that is their own, and they
Operation Christmas Child
certainly have never received a gift before. Receiving a gift for the very first time lets them know that they are seen; and they are loved by God, and they are not forgotten,” she shared.
The Port Morris United Methodist Church, in Roxbury, has participated in Operation Christmas Child for several years. This year, it is partnering with the Millbrook United Methodist Church, Randolph, in putting together boxes. A former pastor and his wife introduced the church to the project. The pair were from Bulgaria and had received boxes and passed them out at an orphanage there, making a connection with the children. The children at the orphanage were not all orphans; some had family and knew that. They had been abandoned because they were sick or disabled and seen as a burden. The pastor’s wife would tell of how children receiving the boxes would take them to bed, clutching tightly to them. Since it started participating in Operation Christmas Child, the Roxbury church has tracked its boxes (which can be done online in some cases) to Ukraine, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Ecuador.
“Giving children items for Christmas is a rewarding feeling. I can imagine the smiles on their faces as they open up their boxes. I look forward every year to Operation Christmas to make a difference in their lives,” said church member Roberta Post of Roxbury.
For some, participating in Operation Christmas Child is a family affair. “I … appreciate the chance to get my children involved in something bigger than themselves. They’re both young, four and two but I find that they’re already learning so much about generosity, thoughtfulness, and love for others through this ministry,” said Cassia Lee, of Stanhope, Central
Drop-Off coordinator at the Times Square Church North Jersey in Mt. Arlington. (The Central Drop Off is where all the other Drop Off Locations in the area bring their shoebox filled cartons to load onto tractor trailers to be shipped to the Operation Christmas Child Processing Centers.)
Barbara Stopa, of Roxbury, has participated in Operation Christmas Child for 25 years. Also a member of the Times Square Church North Jersey, Stopa is the Volunteer Regional Area Coordinator for Morris, Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon Counties in NJ and Lebanon County in PA. “..what has moved me the most is hearing the true stories of young adults who received their shoeboxes as children and how much it filled continued on page 11
Last year’s Operation Christmas Child. Photo courtesy Amanda Blewett of Ledgewood Baptist Church in Roxbury.
Religious School
Operation Christmas Child...
continued from page 10
them with hope and joy. With each box they are given a booklet called “The Greatest Gift” that tells them about Jesus, the great gift of all. That gift is eternal,” she said.
Blewett shared a story of an Operation Christmas Child recipient.” We recently heard from a man who received a box as a child. He grew up in a Christian home but in a country where Christians are heavily persecuted. He was always told that Jesus is a gift, but he never knew what that meant. Everything he had ever received was completely worn down by the owners before him. He loved to write and draw, but by the time he received a pencil, it was only a small point all the way at the bottom. He would put the end of the pencil in a pen cap just to be able to hold onto it. When his pastor gave him an Operation Christmas Child shoebox and there was a brand new box of pencils inside, he finally understood what a gift was. He had done nothing to deserve this gift; it was freely given to him. He felt like God saw him, knew what he needed, and felt a tangible expression of God’s love. “
Another story Blewett shared was of twin brothers in the Ukraine. When giving out boxes, the volunteers found they were one short. The one brother said he would
share whatever was in his box with his twin. However, when they opened the box, they found it contained two of everything in it. In another situation, although boxes are carefully checked along the way to their destination, a box was given out which included a shoe…just one shoe. “Unbeknownst to every hand that has touched that box, it reached a family whose child was in an accident and only had one leg... this family was questioning God’s provision until receiving this very special box,” shared Blewett. “These children get what they need through these boxes, and most importantly they get an understanding that God sees them, He knows them, and He loves them. The toys will break, the soap, pencils, and paper will run out, but what will remain for an eternity is the hope and joy that is only found in Jesus,” she reflected.
Stopa noted that at the Times Square Church Central Drop Off Location, they collected over 14,000 gift- filled shoeboxes for children in 2023 and have a goal to collect over 15,000 this year. When asked what she’d like to share with the public, she said, “ I hope you will join us in bringing hope and love to 15,000 plus children around the world this year. National Collection Week is Nov 18. - 25, 2024. “
Local Community Unites to Commemorate Attack on Israel
By Cheryl Conway
More than one year has passed since the October 7 Hamas led attack on Israel, and rather than forget, the local community is finding light, hope and compassion.
About 50 people from Mt. Olive, Washington Twp., Roxbury and other surrounding areas gathered at 7 p.m. at the Chabad Jewish Center in Flanders to commemorate the attack, to honor those whose lives were lost, remember the horrific day and unite as a people. Rabbi Yaacov Shusterman organized the hour-long event—Light Over Darkness— to memorialize victims of the October 7 massacre of last year.
“This was the worst antisemitic attack since the Holocaust,” says Shusterman. “We always have to remember and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
At the event, different people from the community spoke and candles were lit to remember the day when Hamas and several other Palestinian nationalist militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza Envelope of southern Israel. The attack coincided with Simchat Torah, the Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings.
The memorial event included prayers, a candle lighting ceremony, poetry and speeches read by Jewish teenagers and members of the community of various age groups who read the biographies of some of the hostages, describes Shusterman.
He also spoke.
“365 days, an entire year has gone by since that day
when our worlds changed forever,” recites Shusterman. “We witnessed the unthinkable—the brutal loss of innocent lives, families torn apart, and a pain so deep that words can barely express it.
“We cannot stop thinking about the 101 innocent people still held captive in the darkness of tunnels beneath Gaza; the over 20,000 rockets and missiles fired at Israel, and the hundreds of thousands still displaced from their homes,” he adds.
“For many of us the pain remains so raw and so real,” he continues. “Yet, amid this silence, something remarkable has emerged. The heart of our people, the Jewish nation is showing its true beauty. We see acts of kindness and strength that reflect the essence of who we are. Communities are coming together like never before, strangers are embracing each other with love and support. We see those who refuse to let despair win, who rise with hope, compassion, and a fierce commitment to one another.
“We hope for peace in the region and that the people of Israel live with serenity,” adds Shusterman.
One attendee, Scott Sclar of Succasunna, attended the event in order “to pay homage to those negatively affected by the unfortunate situation unfolding in the Middle East,” he shares.
While the event was to memorialize a tragic day, Sclar walked away with some positive light.
“My main takeaway was that it is important to stay positive and look at the bright side of things even in dark times,” says Sclar. “To dance for a bright future instead of
cry over a troublesome past. I learned that throughout history the Jewish people have always been ostracized but have always been able to rise above.”
He was grateful that he was able to attend such a meaningful event.
“I am pleased that I attended because it allowed me to reflect on my ancestral history and remember where I came from,” says Sclar. “It was great to see a sense of community and everyone coming together for a common cause.”
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November Highlights Children’s Grief Awareness by Supporting Families
By Cheryl Conway
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ovember kicks off the holiday season where families gather and spend time together, and while for many it can be a joyous occasion, for others facing the loss of a loved one, the happy may be missing from their table.
Hence, why November is Children’s Grief Awareness Month and the third Thursday of each November is recognized as Children’s Grief Awareness Day. Its purpose is to raise awareness about the impact of grief on children and need to support those who have experienced loss.
Originated in 2008 in Pennsylvania as a collaboration between the Highmark Caring Place and students from local schools, the day was created in response to students’ desire to bring attention to the struggles of their grieving classmates, explains Annette Mendez of Mt. Olive, Training & Curriculum Manager at Good Grief, a non-profit grief support center for children and families.
The day is observed annually on the third Thursday of November, which is the Thursday before Thanksgiving in the
United States. This year, the day falls on Nov. 21.
“The timing of the day is intentional, as the holiday season can be a difficult time for grieving children and families,” says Mendez. Some families do not know where to turn when faced with grief. The good news is there are organizations out there that can help! One of those organizations is Good Grief, with support centers in Morristown and Princeton.
“Everyone’s grief is unique, but we encourage people to find support, community, and connection in ways that work best for them,” says Mendez who has been working at Good Grief this past year. “They don’t need to navigate this experience alone.”
Her role at Good Grief is to collaborate with school districts and organizations throughout New Jersey on the implementation and delivery of grief informed workshops and professional development.
“As part of the Good Grief Schools Initiative team, I provide workshops and training on how to build resilience within the grief community and how to grow from adversity,” she says.
“As a former bi-lingual
educator, I have passion for working with my community and cultivating relationships with educators across districts to ensure they are providing lessons and spaces that are equitable,” she adds. “We can’t be equitable without being grief informed.”
Good Grief was established in 2004 by a group of concerned volunteers who saw the lack of high-quality grief support for kids in post 9/11 NJ.
“Our purpose is really to empower children and families and help to build up resiliency and strength after adversity and loss,” explains Mendez. “We do this by going into schools and other organizations and destigmatizing grief. We strive to shrink this big elephant in the room into something that is not as difficult to address.”
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Children’s Grief Awareness...
continued from page 13 of the proceeds will go to Good Grief.
With 20 years of helping families, Good Grief has served 1,000 individuals each year in its centers, Mendez notes. Since 2018, it has partnered with 380 schools and has trained 20,391 individuals in Good Grief Schools.
For most of the organization’s history, it has been providing peer support programs to grieving children and families starting at 3 years old through young adulthood. In recent years, its work has expanded through education and advocacy to provide training, curriculum, and resources to schools, hospitals and healthcare, the funeral industry, corporations, and other spaces to empower professionals, parents, and the broader community to support the needs of children and families facing loss.
Since November is designated as Children’s Grief Awareness, Good Grief will be hosting a free community webinar in honor of Children’s Grief Awareness Day. It will be sharing a lesson plan and activity that participants can take back to their schools or clients. It will also have a t-shirt campaign through bonfire, htt ps://www.bonfi re.com/ goodgrief-2024/; a portion
“We also have our annual Gala coming up in November in Princeton, as well as two 5ks,” adds Mendez. In addition to that, educators can reach out at education@good-grief.com if they are interested in any professional development opportunities not only for their staff but for parents and caregivers as well.
“We have monthly community webinars that are free to the public, they are conducted via zoom, recorded and then uploaded to our Youtube page,” she adds.
While November is being highlighted, Good Grief is a year-long center and community support is always welcome.
“Getting the word out,” is paramount, she says.
“Come visit us, we have open houses periodically,” says Mendez. “Spread the
word, tell people about us. Tell your neighbor whose child may have lost a pet recently, tell a friend who you know is dealing with grief. Reach one teach one is my motto.”
Mendez explains why her work at Good Grief is so important.
“I am deeply passionate about this organization’s purpose because I believe that grief is a universal experience that touches all of us at some point in our lives,” shares Mendez. “Many children and families struggle silently with their feelings, often feeling isolated and misunderstood. I have a profound empathy for those navigating the difficult landscape of grief, and I recognize how crucial it is to create a safe space for them to express their emotions.
“By fostering open conversations and
encouraging emotional expression, we can help individuals understand that their feelings are valid and shared,” she continues. “This organization plays a vital role in guiding families through their grief journeys, and I am inspired to contribute to this mission, helping to ensure that no one feels alone in their struggle
“Whenever I tell people what I do for a living, they often respond with, ‘Oh, that’s so sad,’” adds Mendez. “However, I always emphasize that I truly love my job. While it is indeed heartbreaking to think about a child in grief, it is equally rewarding to witness the joy of children visiting our centers, knowing they
are embraced fully and unconditionally, regardless of where they are in their grieving process. They are not broken, and there’s no need to fix them. Our role is to listen, provide support, and remind others that grief can be a positive experience, hence our name Good Grief.”
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By Henry M Hoden
Slavery and the slave trade was an American institution as far back as the Durch occupation in the 1600s. It stretched as far north as New England with New Jersey holding many enslaved people and harboring the lucky few in a Friends Meeting House, and likely other Quaker locations. Quakers became critical and central to the launch of the movement to abolish the slave trade in the 1780s.
They were the first religious movement to condemn slavery and would not allow their members to own slaves.
The Religious Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers, played a major role in the abolition movement against slavery in the United States. Quakers were among the first white people to denounce slavery and the Quaker’s Society of Friends became the first organization to take a collective stand against both slavery and the slave trade.
Slavery was encouraged by the Concessions and Agreements of Feb. 10, 1664. It rewarded slavery by granting land to settlers according to the number of enslaved people they had. Settlers could receive up to 150 acres for each adult enslaved person, creating the potential for larger farms to be amassed by those with
The Quakers and the Abolitionists
the most enslaved.
Keeping enslaved people was not part of the Quaker belief system. The Quakers tried to eliminate the problem of racism by persuasion, petitions, and active and passive means such as boycotting products made by slave labor. Those who defied the organization were late banned from the Quakers.
In 1776, Quakers were prohibited from owning slaves, and 14 years later they petitioned the U.S. Congress for the abolition of slavery.
There were many Quakers who opposed slavery totally. However, some Quakers refused to free their enslaved people and when they did there were often serious outbreaks of violence.
By 1861, on the eve of a potential Civil War there was a serious division between the Quaker slave holders and the abolitionists Quakers who wanted freedom for all enslaved people.
While there are no prescribed or mandatory set beliefs in Quakerism, one will often see a common group of goals, called testimonies; simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship (SPICES).
One tactic used was Quaker stores selling only. goods produced by the labor of free
people. It had little impact on the issue.
By 1840, there were several serious outbreaks of violence against anti-slavery agitators and leaders. The atmosphere was such that violence came to the Friends in Boonton, N.J. and likely other Friends location as well.
The drive among the Abolitionist to end slavery, especially among their own ranks became more heated as time went by.
The idea was to not only free the enslaved people but try to establish ways of keeping them free. There were secondary
issues that arose when trying to secure a meaningful freedom. Many Quakers enslaved people were re-enslaved or were not treated well after being released and declared free.
Sadly, many white Quakers did not believe that Blacks were genuine equals, spiritually. There was a lot of criticism from the more vocal Quaker abolitionists. There was a race problem within the Quaker organization, and the general public, and it grew worse with time. There were
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This typical Quaker Meeting House in Randolph, was used primarily for meetings and reportedly as a station on the Underground Rail Road. (Photo credit: Henry M. Holden)
Quakers and the Abolitionists...
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some Quakers who were trying to promote freedom for all enslaved but soon the divide grew larger and more dangerous for the Abolitionists.. It was difficult for white Christians, even people who were in the vanguard of the white conscience to envision Blacks as equals spiritually, in their own meeting houses.
So, what were the Quakers to do? Was it more important to be spiritually and theologically clean, or was it more important to live in the world and to try to achieve change in their world? The dilemma was such that the unwillingness of some white Quakers to accept the Black Quakers created a racial divide. And the Black children soon found themselves in inadequate Black schools.
The contradiction was the violence that slavery delivered and was not going to end peacefully. At some point Americans realized there was going to be a civil war. So, Quakers were always concerned about the means and ends. Unfortunately, their pacifism became more conservative because they understood that their beliefs might be used to foment insurrection.
The real dilemma was whites were never enslaved themselves, but here they are telling free Blacks not to use violence, and not to use weapons to defend themselves, or their freedom. How violent should one become to abolish another kind of violence - slavery?
The Quakers had an internal, unsolvable struggle over the best way to fight the injustice of slavery.
Slavery is not the same issue in the United States today, although, one can debate ways in which it still exists. What are some of the causes of issues that most engage the Friends today?
Basically, peace continues to be one of those. The Quakers were concerned about being drawn into European wars and they struggled hard for people to understand the costs of war, both materially and in terms of its loss of human lives.
Second would be economic justice issues, trying to ensure that every person has an opportunity to earn a living wage that would support a family.
And, there was always that hope that one might be able to win over their oppressors by being humble and being meek in trying to change things, one person at a time. That did not work out but that was the Quaker’s hope in the 19th century.
There were some incredible racial challenges in the 19th century and that peaceful vision did not play out.
There is something that was said about winning people over one by one and knowing that the tough issues are not going to be resolved easily. They’re not going to be solved rapidly. And realistically, they certainly are not going to be settled through violence. That was proven by an estimated 800, 000 Americans who thought their side was righteous and were willing to die for that belief’.
In hindsight, the American Civil War was not the solution to what started out to be an issue between Quakers and abolitionists owning humans. It was a slavery issue, and it had spread t0 other parts of the country.
Many think that slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863. However, this document freed only slaves held in the eleven Confederate states that had seceded, and only in the portion of those states not already under Union control.
The 13th Amendment passed on January 31,
1865, was meant to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for a. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States…” And “Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
More than thirty years later another attempt did not end slavery. In 1899, in ‘Plessy vs Ferguson” the Supreme Court ruled that separate but equal educational facilities were ruled Constitutional,
Racial justice had to wait another 50 years. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that racial segregation in educational facilities was unconstitutional. This was the cornerstone to ending all racial segregation.
For years, Thurgood Marschal had argued civil rights cases before the U,S. Supreme Court. Piece by piece he took down Plessey vs Ferguson.
Under escort from the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, nine Black students enter the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
This was the first permanent change in the makeup of American society. More legislation would come. Under this legislation Black Quaker schools and churches were closed and the children integrated into white society.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 followed and was backed up by National Guard troops with loaded weapons. Four students were shot dead and nine were wounded. at Kent State University in 1970 during the riots.
Thurgood Marshal became the first African American to serve as a judge on the United States Supreme Court in, 1967.
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