Home for the holidays

After three years searching, congregation finds a home, By Joseph Harkins SPARTA - Forgive the rabbi. His mind had wandered as he drove along Woodport Road last month. Something made Schmuel Lewis stop and turn right into Sparta Plaza, and he’s not sorry at all. After three years of searching, Rabbi Lewis, of the Chabad Jewish Center of Sussex County, would finally have his prayers answered. He would find a home for his faithful at 191 Woodport Road, in a township strip mall across the street from the Hope Bank and above Francesca’s restaurant. “It’s very exciting,” said Lewis. “I’m happy, the people in the community are happy.” Lewis will open the doors to his new house of worship from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, when the community is invited to take part in a ceremony that will include the transfer of the Torah and other religious artifacts from his home. Until now, the Lewis house on Glen Road had served as a place for the rabbi and his wife to eat, sleep, and raise their three young children. But home was also a gathering point for a modest — but growing — Jewish community in Sparta. For High Holy Days, when his single-family home could no longer accommodate upwards of 100 people seeking a place to assemble, Lewis turned to local facilities, such as the ambulance squad center on Sparta Avenue, or the bowling alley, to hold services. When the mezuzah - a small scroll made of parchment containing scripture -- is affixed to the front door this weekend, Lewis and his congregation will have officially landed a spiritual residence. “At the end of the day, we’ll have bricks and stone, but it’s still all about relationships and having an effect on people’s lives,” said Lewis. “Now everything will be unified under one roof.” The leased facility will house classrooms for Hebrew school and folding walls to partition the 1,000 square feet of space into four rooms for offices, worship, or large gatherings. The rabbi said the congregation is almost moved in, with just some electrical work and finishing touches that need to be completed. “You can pray wherever you want; it makes no difference,” said Lewis. “It just has to be quiet.” He said the two miles from his home to the new building is only about a half-hour walk, which is welcome news because a car is off limits on the Sabbath. “There are advantages and disadvantages to everything,” said Lewis. “I’m very happy this worked out, but I’ve got to stay focused. That’s what it is all about.”