Oheb Shalom Congregation welcomes Rosh Hashanah By Harriet Sigerman The first Rosh Hashanah in the Park service was held in 2023. Photo by Joy Yagid. Under a glowing sunset sky, the sound of Hebrew prayers reverberated across a broad slope near a big, shady tree in Maplewood’s Memorial Park on Sept. 15, 2023. Rabbi Abigail Treu of Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange had just launched the first Rosh Hashanah in the Park service. “The genesis of the idea was my wanting to

The Sunday reset: dining family style By Ilysse Rimalovski Sisters-in-law Bianca and Susan Froelich prepare Sunday dinner for their extended family. If it’s Sunday, the extended Froelich family is gathered around the dinner table. Sisters-in-law Susan and Bianca Froelich have been preparing an Italian feast, sipping wine and catching up with each other. The rhythm feels joyous and nurturing. “Sunday dinner is something I look forward to as a way to keep the weekend going and

Gaelic football finds its footing in Essex County By Adrianna Donat The Essex Shillelaghs GAA welcome new players of all experience levels, giving children the chance to learn Gaelic football in a fun, supportive environment. Photo by Richard Morris. If you have wondered about the lawn signs around town advertising Gaelic football, you are not alone. The signs promote a sport that looks a little like soccer – until someone picks up the ball. Then it resembles basketball – unt

By Anu Mahadev Hi Matters Magazine readers! Welcome to the new Book Matters column. I am Anu Mahadev, a Maplewood resident who has lived in the SOMA area for more than 15 years. In this new column, I share selections of books that I have recently read and enjoyed. As much as reading is an outlet, it can also be an education. As a seasoned reader, I invite you to take it slow, experience and savor each line in these books and resist rushing through to the next page or chapter.

Every day, our children walk through the doors of their elementary schools into places where they learn, grow, explore and build lasting memories. What captures their curiosity? What helps them feel welcome and safe? Matters Magazine invited the principals of our elementary schools to share a special place or feature that reflects the heart of their school. Discover what they chose and how these spaces or features help shape the experiences of the children who learn there. Se

Columbia High School’s principal prepares for a new year Written by Nathaniel Kraemer Photo by Joy Yagid. The principal’s office at Columbia High School is a small wood-paneled room where everything is open – windows, books, folders, cabinet-doors – and seemingly in a state of active use. Everything is also functional, save one personal touch, kept on the coffee table at which he seats visitors: a 3-foot-long polished stone cougar. This is Columbia’s mascot. When holding meet

Local sage Ryan O’Dell is hoping to help people of any age figure out their paths in life By Nathaniel Kraemer One day many years past, Ryan O’Dell was using his rowing machine and watching an episode of the Netflix show Vikings. This particular episode featured a blind fortune-teller who could divine one’s future by licking their palm. “It would be really cool if you had someone that you could just go up to and say, ‘What’s my destiny?’ and they’ll tell you,” he says. “In an

By Kristen Di Gennaro As we mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, we think of the Founding Fathers and their creation of a country separate from England. After two and half centuries of separation, the United States and England remain, famously, “two nations divided by a common language.” We’re English-speaking countries, but our English is noticeably different. People use language to communicate what we want to say and who we are – where we come from and the group

Writing helps author move from fear to courage By Ellen Donker If you ask Michele Richman whether she thought she would ever write a book, her answer is, “Absolutely not. It’s not even something that I felt was possible.” That mindset started to shift during the pandemic when Richman turned to a coach to help her defeat what she calls imposter syndrome, that voice that says you’re not good enough. Richman is a former practicing attorney who was now working at Lawline, a busin

How the school district is building a stronger start for young learners through Universal Pre-K By Amy Lynn-Cramer L to R: Dana Kearney, owner of Village Babies Development Center with teachers Kimberly Williams, Renae Miller and Briana Saunders. (Olivia Senior not pictured.) There is something magical about a preschool classroom. Paint is still drying on yesterday’s masterpiece. A child proudly zips a jacket for the very first time. A tower of wooden blocks teeters before tu

My South Mountain Reservation internship turned theoretical concepts into a lifelong career path By Henry Donat L to R: Interns Allison Borkenhagen, Itai Kamil and Henry Donat with their supervisor Rich Rockwell (in the navy shirt). Most students my age spend their summers avoiding heat, dirt and manual labor. My summer revolves around those things. As one of three forest regeneration interns working for the South Mountain Conservancy in the South Mountain Reservation this su

My visit to the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music sparked memories By Ellen Donker A few years ago, my son Christian noticed the T-shirt I was wearing on my way outside to paint some furniture. It was from Bruce Springsteen’s 1980 world concert. Since I had rarely worn it, it was in pristine condition. He said the shirt was probably worth something and suggested that I change. Back in the drawer went that T-shirt until recently when my husband Rob and I visited the

It's worth it in the end By Ellen Donker Every year, as spring moves into summer, I am determined to improve my gardens. I’m aware that I should probably be saying this in winter when it’s time to start seedlings, but I can never seem to rustle up the enthusiasm or plan ahead to get a spot in the Maplewood greenhouse. Early June comes along and I’m just getting started with clearing garden beds of leaves and weeds (hoping I don’t yank a perennial by mistake) and figuring out

Inside the Maplewood Youth Gardening Program By Adrianna Donat L to R: Eden Prager holds freshly-picked spinach, Ameer Azma is getting ready to plant an eggplant seedling and Annelise Salierno with harvested radishes. Photos by Julia Maloof Verderosa. On a Saturday afternoon in Maplewood, the MapleFood Garden in the greenhouses behind Maplewood Town Hall has the pleasant, slightly chaotic, feel of a place where real work is getting done by people who are not too worried about

Local volunteers advocate for youth in crisis By Amy Lynn-Cramer L to R: CASA Essex County board president Neil Yaris, executive director Marla Higginbotham and board member Ed Schwarz. In communities like ours, where daily life moves through school pickups, coffee shop conversations, neighborhood gatherings and familiar routines, children navigating foster care are part of the everyday fabric of community life. One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding foster care is the

Language Matters By Kristen di Gennaro In response to my call for language pet peeves, a reader emailed about the “misuse” of personal pronouns, as in “Me and him went to the circus today.” Noted the reader, “It’s so simple if you remove one of the pronouns and listen to how the revised sentence sounds to your ear.” Indeed, few speakers would say “Me went to the circus” or “Him went to the circus,” so why are some of us OK with “me and him” as a subject in the same context? T

SOMA Tool Share promotes a sharing economy mindset By Ellen Donker L to R: Volunteers organize tools in the storage facility; SOMA Tool Share board members Janet Villano, Dave Helmkamp and Kenny Grossman; more tools! When you become a homeowner it seems like you inherit an endless list of repairs or improvements. Some projects, such as kitchen or bathroom renovations, are best handled by the professionals. But what about items such as adding shelving, cleaning your dryer vent

Strawberry girls: short and sweet By Ilysse Rimalovski Early in June, sweetness is smiling little faces stained with strawberry juice. Strawberry shortcake, the quintessential American pastry layered with whipped cream and sliced berries, is an ode to the start of berry-picking season. The strawberry shortcake that my grandfather knew, plucked from his bakery’s refrigerated display case somewhere in Queens, was tall and fluffy but never tasted as good as it looked. The halved

New owners honor the vision of Danny Ives By Ellen Donker Martine Ives (center) in July 2024 with Jazmin and José Bencosme on the day they bought the Maplewood Bike Shed from her. The Maplewood Bike Shed is just 6 years old, yet it has a meaningful story to tell. It starts out happy, turns tragic and continues with resilience, ultimately evolving into a new chapter that keeps the vision of founder Danny Ives alive. A 2011 graduate of Columbia High School, Ives had a passion f

Babies, plumbers, hair stylists, gardeners, doggos, eagles – and Henry the Cat By Cindy Perman Henry's off to join his family in the UK! Photo and graphics by Cameron Dickson who did not use AI. There’s been a steady drumbeat of friends declaring they are leaving Facebook. Some (Gen Zers) never joined in the first place. This may out me as uncool, but … I’m never leaving Facebook. Don’t get me wrong. I’m on other platforms that I value, but there are a lot of connections and