Harold Barr and Rabbi Eliezer Zaklikovsky, director of the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe, show a piece of stained glass made at Harold’s home studio in Concordia. MONROE — The hundreds of hours of volunteer work that went into beautifying the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe’s synagogue also served to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s passing.
The center recently dedicated 18 new stained glass windows, 10 of which have designs depicting the steps of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson’s mitzvah campaign, such as Shabbat candles, tefillin, mezuzah and Torah study. Five more windows on the Chabad shuls contain the text of the Shema prayer, and three others represent the Star of David as well as the mitzvot of mezuzah, challah and Kiddush.
Monroe residents volunteered their services for the project, including Maurice Mahler, who designed the windows, Harold Barr, who produced them, and Jacob Rittman, who installed them.
“We live in a very unique community in that way,” Chabot Director Rabbi Believer Zaklikovsky said of the volunteer contributions. “On all levels, people are looking to help. In Monroe, we have people that are willing to give time and talent. It’s more personable.”
Barr, who for the last 12 years has made a hobby of manufacturing hand mirrors and other glass items in his home studio, said he worked at least 250 hours on the stainedglass windows. When Barr was visiting the Chabad in September during a week when one of his friends sponsored Shabbat kiddush, Rabbi Zaklikovsky gave him an aliyah and mentioned his artistic ability during a speech. Barr previously made stained glass windows for the Jewish Congregation of Concordia, and was hooked into the new project when Zaklikovsky showed him the designs for the windows right after kiddush.
“When he approached me, I thought it would be very nice for me to have my skills on display in his temple like they were in [the Jewish Congregation of Concordia],” Barr said. “Every time I go there, I take pride in seeing my artwork.”
After being recruited to volunteer at the September kiddush, Barr came full circle by sponsoring kiddush when the windows were dedicated.
“It gives you a feeling that it’s not just a room — it’s a sanctuary,” Barr said of the windows. “Everybody is very enthused and happy to see them.”
A lifelong artist who teaches art at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Mahler worked for two weeks on the design for the windows before going over the sketches with Barr and Zaklikovsky. The group then reviewed Hebrew text for the windows and chose different colors.
By living for 40 years in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, center of the Chabad movement, Mahler said he gained an appreciation for the Rebbe’s teachings and was pleased to depict them through his artwork.
Zaklikovsky said stained glass windows add special dignity to a synagogue, and that the message on these particular windows should motivate community members to action.
“It should give a very warm feeling in the shul,” Zaklikovsky said. “You should feel like you are in a shul where there is a soul, a heart, and lots of energy. Then specifically, people should be inspired to do the mitzvahs.”
Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe is still looking for community members to dedicate each of the windows. Those interested in honoring the memory of a loved one through one of the windows, contact Rabbi Zaklikovsky at [email protected] or by calling 732-656-1616.