NORWICH – Following a lengthy restoration process, the Norwich Jewish Center will open its doors for a dedication celebration from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 72 South Broad Street in Norwich.
“We are celebrating the fact we have been able to reconstruct this iconic building to its functional use,” said James Fertig, leader of the center’s restoration project. “The people of Norwich are wonderful; they saw the injustice, were horrified, and stood behind us to offer support.”
The center's restoration became a necessity after it was vandalized in April of 2008. No persons were physically harmed during the incident, but much of the historic interior was destroyed. The perpetrators were found to be three local youths. This was not the first recorded incident to take place at the center – according to reports, a hate crime took place at the center in 2003 – but the 2008 vandalism proved to be the most damaging.
The Norwich Jewish Center's congregants range from Orthodox to Reform, as it is the only facility of its kind in the immediate area. It is a turn-of-the century colonial revival home that is on the National Historic Registry.
A press release from the Norwich City Police Department when the incident occurred read, “the entire interior of the large three-story structure was vandalized.” Investigation was underway involving the NPD, the New York State Police, and the FBI as an anti-Semitic message was found to be written on the blackboard of the Hebrew school in the interior of the building, and it had to be determined if the assault was a hate crime.
The three offenders were sentenced by Honorable Howard Sullivan to the maximum penalty allowed by law – two years probation, 200 hours of community service, and $1,500 in restitution per offender. The estimated damage done at the center was well over $200,000, Fertig sad. The three boys served between 5 and 30 days in juvenile detention. Under the Family Law Act, the punishment was the most that could have been handed down. Fertig said that not every boy paid his restitution.
The center's insurance policy covered a new security system, repaired the electrical system - although issues with it still remain – replaced some lighting, prayer shawls and books, kitchen equipment, and furniture.
In September of 2011, a letter was sent from James Fertig and Harvey M. Teres – the chair of Judaic Studies at Syracuse University – to businesses and charitable organizations outlining the vandalism and its effects on the community, and ways in which those businesses or organizations could assist in the renovation project.
Read the letter, “Since the desecration, members of the Norwich Jewish Center have worked extremely hard raising funds that have gone toward cleaning the interior and replacing some of the damaged furniture and fixtures. Many individuals of all religious denominations and affiliations, Jewish and not, have also supported the Center verbally, in kind, and in special ways. But this has served only to restore the Center to a usable condition.”
The campaign had raised $25,000 in matching funds toward the repairs, thanks to a generous donation from Nancy Cantor's Chancellor's Fund at Syracuse University. The estimate for the remaining repairs at that time was $95,000, but it was a “good faith estimate” and the costs for the actual restoration far exceeded that figure, added Fertig.
“Almost all the leaded and stained glass that graced the interior, and severely damaged a valuable Henry Keck glass collection, furniture, fixtures, woodwork, oriental rugs, and artifacts in the religious sanctuary,” the letter added. It asked recipients of the letter to help show the community that hate, bigotry, and intolerance will not prevail.
