TOMS RIVER – A few years ago, there were hundreds of people fighting a Chabad in a residential zone. A few years ago, there wasn’t even a thought to have a multicultural festival or a Pride celebration in town.
A lot can happen in a few years, but also a lot more needs to be done, said officials at a belated celebration of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The governing body used the occasion of a recent Township Council meeting to honor several local residents who are working toward unity in the county.
Former South Toms River Mayor Joseph Champagne gave an emotional, 10-minute montage of King’s speeches. The room was silent as he spoke with King’s recognizable inflection and cadence. When he was finished, it was like all the air was knocked out of him.
Champagne was introduced by his former coworker and roommate, Councilman Terrence Turnbach, as “someone who walks in the footprints of Dr. King.”
There were people in the audience like members of the NAACP and Reisa Sweet, who marched with King. Local community activist Colin Lewis was also honored.
It’s important for people of different races and cultures to unilaterally fight against discrimination, Lewis said. He called to mind Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and the Six Sisters of Selma, members of the Jewish and Catholic faiths who joined King’s protests in Alabama.
“Toms River is on the verge of being able to do something very special. We have to walk this thing out,” Lewis said.
He reminded people of the Around the World in Toms River event that was held on Labor Day. That event had been talked about throughout the state. This was a festival where people were given an international passport and invited to learn from other cultures through games, music and other activities. This event grew out of meetings of Toms River UNITED (Uniting Neighbors In Town Every Day), a group of civic leaders concerned about growing hostilities between groups.
During this event he took a picture of a hug between Police Chief Mitch Little and Rabbi Moshe Gourarie to demonstrate how far things have come. Gourarie runs Chabad Jewish Center out of a house on Church Road. The township had required a use variance to run the event in a residential area. There had been thousands of residents sounding off about it, and a federal court battle that ultimately declared Toms River was wrong.
People are on the right trajectory now, Lewis said. They just have to keep taking steps toward equality and love.
“Be the light that Toms River is supposed to be for the state of New Jersey,” Lewis said.
