NORWICH – Faculty members of Syracuse Universities College of Arts and Sciences and its Judaic studies program visited Norwich Thursday night to celebrate restoration efforts being made to the Jewish Center following the vandalism in 2008.
There was a reception at the Chenango County Council of the Arts at 5 p.m. followed by speeches from people in the community and SU representatives about the importance of the project, as well as a film from Martha Brower illustrating the original damage and the state of the repairs.
“It’s been a remarkable process that brought many people together ... and has resulted in bonds between Norwich and the Jewish community in Syracuse and Binghamton, as well as with [SU],” said James Fertig, a Norwich attorney who first thought to contact the university. “I just wanted to see if there was anyone there involved in glass making who would be interested in doing repairs as part of their curriculum.”
The vicious defacement of the Jewish Center, located at 70-76 South Broad St., included $200,000 worth of damage to leaded stained-glass windows, furniture, and religious artifacts, as well as anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled on walls of the building, which led the Norwich Police Department to classify the burglary as a hate crime and notified the FBI.
Three teenage boys were charged with the crime in 2009.
As it turned out, faculty members were interested in much more than sending students to repair the glass. Mary Lerner, a representative from SU, explained the university has been striving to engage their students outside of the classroom and increase their awareness of surrounding communities.
“It’s so important that they know the impact they can make,” said Lerner. “It’s important that education is not just in a classroom, but also fosters a broad respect for the global and local communities.”
The university first tasked John Dobbs, Syracuse’s native master glass-worker, to identify the various windows in the 100-year-old building and give advice on repairing the approximately $200,000 worth of damage. Following the visit, SU promoted a nationwide restoration campaign which has raised approximately half of the money needed. This includes a generous $25,000 matching gift from SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor.
“This is the essence of the university, not just teaching but teaching in context,” said Thomas Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of student affairs at SU. “Issues with intolerance resonate very deeply with our students and with the community ... we’re very honored we could help.”
The project became part of the universities Scholarship in Action, a program that gives students an opportunity to give aid to local communities in need.
“It was a huge endeavor that brought the community and SU together. I was eager to get involved and this project has made a difference,” said Sherburne’s Robert Tenney, who serves on the college’s Board of Visitors as well as the Jewish Center project committee. “The university takes these matters very seriously.”