Asbury Park Press - News Article
Barn Offers "Chance of a Lifetime"
Second floor to house Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/25/06
By Joseph Sapia, Freehold Bureu
Freehold Township - The Solomon farmsted. which dates to the middle to late 1700s, is believed to be the first farm settlement in Monmouth County.
Its massive, well-preserved barn remains standing, surrounded by the modern Mount's Courner shopping center at Route 537 and Wemrock Road.
Bernard Hochberg, owner and developer of Mounts Corner, agreed years ago to preserve the circa 1800 barn, along with the late 1700s Solomon farmhouse on the site, when he sought township planning board approval for the shopping center.
These circumstances have resulted in a movement to create the Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County in the barn's 3,000 square foot secont floor.
"We called it a chance of a lifetime," said Charlotte Kruman, 80, of Rumson. co-chairwoman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County's museum committe. which will develop the museum.
The hope is to open the museum next year of possibly late this year.
The museum committee, which first met in January, is gathering items to display a, and will decide hat items will be included, according to Kruman and co-Chairwoman Jean Klerman, 76, of Fair Haven.
The idea is to present permanent and rotating displays, along with providing educational programs and publications, they said.
"We're really geared for children as well as adults," Klerman said. "We don't only want to preserve; we want to educate."
The Freehold Township Historic Preservation Comission lists the Solomon farmhouse and barn - both of which were moved in the 1990s from one part of the 20-acre property to where they stand now - as a township historic site. In order to build the shopping center, Hochberg had to agree to maintain it, said Cheryl Cook, commission chairwoman.
"It's a lot of work for the owner - maintain it, keep it in pristine condition," said Cook, speaking of the historic designation.
Last year, Cook suggested using the barn to preserve local Jewish history.
"Mr. Hochberg, was receptive to the idea because he was the one who said he would put a museum of some desription in the barn, but he would leave it to the commission's decision what would be appropriate use of the space," Cook said.
Hochberg, 63, said he is ecstatic" about the project. The township resident said he is a local and Jewish history buff.
Hochberg plans to renovate the museum space, which he estimated will cost, $100,000. He is renting the space to the Jewish Heritage Museum for $1 per year.
"The wonderful part of this is we won't have to raise funds for a building," Klerman said."
"Most historical societies start off by trying to buy the building" Kruman said. "We have been given the building, the top story."
The barn's first floor is to be some knid of commercial space, Hochberg said. The farmhouse is already being used commercially.
The museum will be about the Monmouth County Jewish community but it not just for the Jewish community, Kruman said.
"It's for the general public," Kruman said. "We want to show the contribution and history of Jews of Monmouth County."
"Jews helped shape the history of Monmouth County, like other ethnic and religious groups," Klerman said.
the Jewish federation, of which Hochberg is a past president, is acting as a "facilitator to get this off the ground," said Howard Gases, federation excutive director. The plan is for the museum to be independent, according to those involved.
The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County is to operate as a non-for-profit corporation, according to Klerman and Kruman.
The last demographic study conducted by the federation in 1997 found about 42,000 or 60 percent, of the county's 70,000 Jews live in the western end of Monmouth County. So the museum committee is especially interested in attracting younger, western Monmouht County residents, Kruman said.
"They're going to be docents, carry this on, "Kruman said.
"We're putting out an papeal - this is an opportunity to join us (and determine the museum's direction)," Klerman said. "This is an appeal for people to sort of get involved in on the ground. This is a wonderful opportunity for people to have input.
This story contains information from a past Asbury Park Press story.
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