by
NJJN Staff Writer

More than 125 people crowded the lobby of the Essex County Hall of Records in Newark on May 23 to mark the county’s first-ever Jewish Heritage Celebration.

Peter Shapiro, director of the Swap Financial Group, and Susan Bass Levin, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, received the Stars of Essex County Award for commitment to improving the quality of life in the county.

Legendary Star-Ledger sports columnist Jerry Izenberg was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as president of Project Pride, an organization that helps young people in Newark by providing educational and recreational opportunities; this year the project will award its 1,000th college scholarship.

The celebration is part of a yearlong series of programs initiated by Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo to recognize and celebrate the county’s diversity.

In lauding the honorees, Belozi Harvey, director of Cultural Diversity and Affirmative Action, said the Jewish community was “not only invaluable to the heritage in Essex County, but to the State of New Jersey, also for America, and the world wide. We thank for you coming here today and for the opportunity to give you the reward that’s in our hearts”

“It may well be that there is no immigrant group that personifies the promise of America like the Jews,” said Rabbi Clifford Kulwin of Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston. “Jews have done well in America; they have also done good. The activism of Jewish groups and individuals in American political life is extraordinary.”

During their remarks, each recipient paid tribute to the area’s ethnic and cultural diversity. Levin, who grew up in Short Hills, noted that her grandparents came from Russia, Austria, and Poland.

In the midst of recent immigration controversies, Shapiro, a South Orange resident who served as the first Essex County executive, said, “I believe immigration has built our country, continues to build our country, continues to make it the great place that it is.”

Izenberg, born and raised in Newark, became emotional at hearing the music that entertained the guests throughout the program. The tunes reminded him of his father, “who came to the United States as an eight-year-old with no money in his pocket and no knowledge of the English language.”

DiVincenzo issued a statement in honor of the day and the recipients.

“Peter Shapiro, Susan Bass Levin, and Jerry Izenberg are leaders in our community who have dedicated their lives to public service and to improving the quality of life for all people,” he said. “I am proud to recognize them for the impact they have had on generations of lives, but also to shine the spotlight on the influence that Jewish heritage has had and continues to have in shaping the economy, culture, and future of Essex County.”

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