Jersey Jewry Book makes New Jersey's Jewish heritage come alive Archived article from Nov 30, 2001 By Rochelle Runas   In a black and white photograph taken in 1939, two people sit close together and tilt their heads toward each other. There seems no need to give it much thought. It's just a nice, ordinary picture of a mother and her daughter. But Michael Aaron Rockland, chair of the American studies department, and his wife, Patricia M. Ard, did study it more closely and what they discovered was the extraordinary story that Old Bridge resident Vera Nussenbaum has held onto, like the photograph, for more than half a century. Vera Nussenbaum and her mother, Yetta Ribetski, had their portraits taken shortly before Vera left Leipzig as part of the Kindertransport program. Photo courtesy of Vera Nussenbaum Vera is one of the many New Jerseyans featured in Ard and Rockland's new book, "The Jews of New Jersey: A Pictorial History" (Rutgers University Press). The picture, taken in Germany, captures the adolescent Vera and her mother, Yetta Ribetski, just before they were separated forever. Vera soon after sailed for England on the very first Kindertransport ship that saved her and other Jewish children from the dark fate millions, including Ribetski, would suffer during the Holocaust. Another picture of Vera standing on the deck waving good-bye is among the most famous documents of the Kindertransport program and has been reproduced in many books, films and exhibits. Rockland and Ard's book includes hundreds of such archival and family photographs of Jews in the Garden State from the mid-19th century to the present. Through pictures and stories, the authors focus on the experiences of homemakers, storekeepers, factory workers, athletes, children, farmers, activists, religious leaders and Holocaust survivors, all of whom created the history of Jews in New Jersey. "We felt that there was this rich visual culture and legacy of Jews in New Jersey that had to be documented," says Ard, an assistant professor of English at Ramapo College. "And we thought the time had come to assess Jewish life in the state." Rockland agrees. "What we didn't want the book to be about was: 'Did you know that this ball player, movie star or politician was Jewish?' That's been done. Rather, we thought it was crucial that the book be about ordinary Jews here and the great stories behind the great pictures." Jews have called New Jersey home since the late 17th century, and they currently make up almost 6 percent of the state's residents. In researching Jewish immigration to the United States, Rockland was surprised to discover that, contrary to popular belief, the majority of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954 took the ferry to New Jersey rather than into Manhattan. In fact, two-thirds of the more than the 12 million Jews and other immigrants landed at the Central New Jersey Railroad Station in Jersey City instead of Manhattan's fabled Lower East Side. As shown in an old photograph in the book, they then waited at the station to board trains for towns in New Jersey and points west. The book's photographs walk readers through the early Jewish communities of major New Jersey cities and suburbs. Whether they were nurses caring for infants at Beth Israel Hospital in Newark; silk workers at their looms in Paterson; bakers making challahs in Trenton; farmers raising chickens in Monmouth County; garment workers sewing in Roosevelt; or storekeepers selling groceries in New Brunswick, Jews contributed enormously to the life of the state, says Ard. Ard, an Irish Catholic New Jersey native, and Rockland, a Jew who grew up in New York, say creating the book was an adventure. While many pictures, like the ones of Vera, found their way to them by word of mouth, their quest led them to the dusty attics of local Jewish historical societies and the doorsteps of private homes. "It involved luck, detective work and diplomacy. I don't think I ever used as much diplomacy in my life," jokes Rockland, a former cultural attache in Argentina and Spain with the U.S. diplomatic service. "People who had these treasures were very reluctant to entrust them to a stranger," he recalls. "I had to convince them that I was legitimate. I even offered one family to leave my children with them, my credit card, anything, so I could reproduce their photos overnight." Ard hopes that the readers of the book walk away with "respect for the richness and diversity that Jewish culture in New Jersey has fostered and awareness of what Jews have contributed to the state." But perhaps what moved Ard and Rockland the most while creating the book are the family bonds that last through time and continue to form and strengthen the Jewish people. For Ard, it's as simple as the black and white photo of Vera and her mother. "So much about Jewish life is family," she says. Ard and Rockland will discuss their new book at a lecture and slide presentation at 7 p.m. Dec. 4 in Trayes Hall in the Douglass College Center. The event, sponsored by Douglass College, the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College, and the Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life is free and open to the public.

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