Lake Hopatcong Jewish Center Invites Special Guest Speaker

Rabbi Richard Kirsch gave ceremonial praise to the menorah lighting held on December 22, 2019 at 5:30 pm on the Municipal Building’s outdoor grounds. It has been a long-standing tradition in Hopatcong Borough to conduct both a Christmas Tree and Menorah lighting outdoor ceremony that invites a representative from the religious community to impart their faith’s thoughts of rejoicing.

The Lake Hopatcong Jewish Community Center is only one of two Jewish Centers that exist in Sussex County. The other center is in Newton. Thanked were the Mayor, the Recreational coordinator, the fire department with a special acknowledgement to the police department that has given the Center an additional protective watch from recent news alerts. The Rabbi extended the festivities with an invitation for attendees to follow them back to the Shul for Hot Latkes and Sufganiyot.

The Municipal Menorah Lighting has concealed a ruffled welcome of good spirits that is slowly mending. In 2016 the Lake Hopatcong Jewish Community Center was a recipient along with other long-established businesses of a “Redevelopment Area Designation” notice. That notice contained the words – “the power of Eminent Domain to acquire property within the delineated area.” The Center was also identified as “underutilized”.

Hopatcong Borough’s Jewish congregation with its founding origins since 1949 have remained positive about its future despite these Borough designation labels. The center appears far from “underutilized”. As quoted on their webpage http://www.lhjcc.org/: “It serves as a Jewish community center in the truest sense. And it fulfills its mission. On the High Holy Days, there are several hundred people here. Who are they? They are unaffiliated…but they come. Even if that’s all this is, it would still be important for it to be here to support a last link to Jewish life.”

Rabbi Richard Kirsch demonstrated the uplifting value the Lake Hopatcong Jewish Community Center gives to the community during the Menorah lighting. He welcomed the public to be there late Saturday morning Dec 28th after Shul to listen to a renowned guest speaker that also included lunch fare. The speaker is Israeli Deputy Consul General Israel Nitzan. He has given lecture hall talks regarding Israel's large global impact and how the country is perceived. Nitzan, is the deputy consul general of the Consulate General of Israel New York, which is the largest Israeli mission across the globe. Nitzan has titled his talks as "Israel in the Global Order," where he discusses Israel’s role in international affairs and helps to clarify misconceptions about the country. It is a very timely topic that many are interested in hearing.

Lake Hopatcong Jewish Community Center address and contact info is:

15 Durban Ave., Hopatcong NJ 07843

Mail To: PO Box 333, Hopatcong, New Jersey 07843

Telephone: (973) 398-8700

E-Mail: ADMIN@LHJCC.ORG