You might have noticed that Or Hadash looks a bit brighter these days! That’s due in part to the amazing work done by Ethan Adams and his scout troop to repair, scrape, paint, and otherwise fix up the White Meadow Road side of our building.
Ethan undertook this work for the synagogue as his Eagle Scout project. As part of the project, Ethan and his troop raised all the money necessary to pay for the needed supplies, including a new metal railing and refurbishing of an existing donated bench.
Many thanks to Ethan, his scout troop, his family, and everyone that pitched in to help. Thank you also to the donors that supported Ethan’s project. Special thanks to Paul Schwarz, our VP of Administration, for coordinating the project with Ethan and for his expert wielding of a power washer, and to John Akeson, our caretaker, for his support & oversight of the project.
Please be sure to take a look at the results next time you’re in shul!
Below is a message from Ethan describing in detail the work done with some great before, during & after pics!
Bernie Rosenfeld & Howard Sislin, Co-Presidents
September 2022
Hello – my name is Ethan Adams, and I am a Scout from Troop 173 in Parsippany, New Jersey. I am 14 years old and am a freshman at Parsippany Hills High School where I play on the Freshman Football team and clarinet in the Concert Band.
I joined scouting in the first grade and earned my first rank as a Tiger Cub Scout. After I completed my AOL rank, I bridged to Troop 173. Since then, I have gone through six ranks: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life. I am now working on becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in scouting. I have been working since first grade to obtain this achievement.
During my journey to Eagle, I have completed requirements throughout the ranks such as camping, first aid, swimming, personal fitness, and leadership. I must now demonstrate leadership of others while completing a project that benefits my local community. I have chosen to complete my Eagle project at Or Hadash / White Meadow Temple.
While preparing for my Eagle project, I met with the Temple Vice President of Administration, Paul Schwarz, and designed my project to include items that are important to the congregation. My project included the installation of a new railing that protects people at an emergency exit, power washing, sanding, and painting four railings and two columns at the side entrance. In addition to these important tasks, I restored and painted two columns at the front entrance of the Temple and refurbished an existing bench that was donated by a congregant several years ago and was in need of attention.
My project will help the Temple tremendously as these areas were worn and neglected – the improvements help make the building more welcoming to people coming in to worship and holding community events.
Costs for tools & supplies were covered through fundraising. Donations were received from family, friends, fellow scout families, & community members. I am happy to report that our collection exceeded my planned budget. When an Eagle project is completed under budget, the extra funds are given to the beneficiary so Or Hadash / White Meadow Temple will receive that donation.
My troop and I began our work on Sunday, August 28, 2022, and completed on Friday, September 16, 2022. Before and after pictures are below. Many thanks to Paul Schwarz for his guidance and support as well as joining our team, rolling up his sleeves and sharing his power washing skills as well as supplying water and pizza to our hungry crew. Also a huge thank you to John Akeson for lending a hand, extra tools & supplies, as well as storage room for all equipment over the duration of the project.
A grateful thank you to Mitch Epstein at Anchor Ace Hardware in Denville for his expertise and guidance in collecting the necessary tools & supplies & for his generous personal donation to the project.
Thank you to Or Hadash / White Meadow Temple for allowing me this opportunity during my journey to Eagle!
