Tapestries
Weaver Phyllis Kantor created tapestries, including curtains for the original Ark and the covers that protect and decorate the bema and lectern in the front of the Sanctuary. The colors chosen were blue, purple and crimson, which are the colors specified in Exodus for use in the building of the Tabernacle. The tapestries include her signature motif of a repeating Menorah pattern.
The Stained Glass Windows
The stained glass windows are described here from the front of the Sanctuary to the rear of the Social Hall.
The first window was commissioned during the Vietnam war, about 1972, and provides an anti-war theme. It shows swords and spears being beaten into plowshares and pruning hooks, as described by the prophet Isaiah. The phrase “Not by might nor by power” is from the prophet Zechariah and is also a part of the Chanukah tradition. It was a gift of the Elliott Altman family, one of our original families, in memory of Elliot’s brother, Ramon, who died tragically in a traffic accident at that time.
The rest of the windows were planned to illustrate Jewish history. The commission was given to Lamb Studios of New York State.
The Exodus Window includes depictions of Pharaoh’s hat and scepter, the burning bush, chains of slavery, a pyramid, the Tabernacle, Moses’ staff parting the Red Sea, the Pesach Lamb, and a design described as the mystical expression of God. It is a gift of the Belkin family in memory of mothers Sarah Mustachi and Pearl Belkin.
The Desert Window shows the golden calf, water springing from the rock struck by Moses, sacrifices, the Scales of Justice, the inscription “Tzedek, Tzedek, Justice, Justice” and the Ten Commandments. It is in memory of David Stern and Rose M. Sachs.
The Europe Window includes references to the French Revolution (Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite). Revolutionary France was the first country to grant citizenship to Jews, which is why it is included in the window. The rest of the window depicts the era of progress and change in Western Society and in Judaism with its inclusion of Maimonides, the Sciences, the Enlightenment, and the age of Exploration, all of which were signifcant influences on the development of our Reform Judaism. The shattered justice balance also reminds us of the pogroms and anti-Semitism, which still existed. The bridge represents the separation of the Jews into the ghettos. It is in memory of David Stern and Rose M. Sachs.
The next window is the Migration Window. It shows the ghetto wall but alludes to Jewish life, culture and religion that continued and thrived despite the confinement of the ghettos. Immigrants carrying a Torah, an eagle, skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty are reminders of the mass migration to the freedom offered by the United States of America. It was commissioned in 1976 (the U.S .Bicentennial Year) in honor of Rabbi Schechter. 
The Israel Window shows barbed wire and guard towers, but also shows the movement to Israel, as indicated by the planes and ships. The window also shows the Official Seal of the State of Israel - the Menorah, as well as a forest, since planting trees in Israel was an important ecological and fundraising activity in the pioneering days of modern Israel’s existence. The Dr. Leonard Kessler family commissioned it.
Protective glass covers all our stained glass windows on the inside and outside. The inside was protected because the early learning center uses the Social Hall as a gym!
The Window of the Jewish Future is located over the entry doors in the Social Hall. It is an artistic projection that was made 30 years ago, in the 70’s when the windows were designed, about how things would look today, in the 21st century.
Rabbi Schechter wanted the window to include a representation of the Jerusalem of the future, which is shown in the upper corner. It also includes projections about today’s technology and depicts a flying saucer, a monorail, a space ship and planet, a circular symbol for nuclear power, and perhaps, a “cell tower.” The stars in the sky on the upper left are all drawn as Jewish Stars. The window also includes a dove, signifying peace, and the word Shalom. The window, and especially the image of the Menorah, is designed to be seen from Craig Road at night when there is activity in the Social Hall.
The window also includes a rose at the top. Adrienne and Bruce Berritt donated this window, but with one request: Adrienne Berritt had always liked the concept of a “rose” window that is typical in European cathedral design, and when her family commissioned the window, she said she wanted to see a “rose” window in Manalapan, NJ as well. The artist agreed to include Adrienne’s request and whimsically stated that it shows a “rosy future.” The rose also has symbolic mystical meaning, as described in the bestselling book of 2003, The DaVinci Code.
The Holiday Tapestries
Six tapestries hang along the left hand side of the Social Hall, and these were needle pointed by women of the congregation and one man, a past president, Don Fox. Their names are on a wall plaque nearby.
Rosh Hashanah and the festivals of Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot are each symbolized on a tapestry. Purim and Chanukah share a tapestry because they are minor holidays. Finally, the Sabbath tapestry shows the Shabbat Queen, dressed as a bride. The tradition of viewing the Sabbath as a bride is why we turn symbolically toward the rear when we sing Lecha Dodi, at Friday night services, as if to welc
ome the Sabbath Bride entering our sanctuary. 
Continue the Tour - Memorials
