By W. JACOB PERRY, Staff Writer, Bernardsville News
Published: Jan 15th, 6:48 AM
Reprinted with permission from Bernardsville News
BERNARDS TWP. - It was easy to imagine the mayor of Newark being just a bit out of place at an affluent rural synagogue. But Mayor Cory Booker, a charismatic, 40-year-old Democrat who's considered a rising political star, gave an inspirational, often humorous talk that was clearly a hit with a crowd of about 250 people at Congregation B'nai Israel on Friday night, Jan. 8.
At one point, Booker spoke about how a planned date with a woman at England's Oxford University led him to become president of the L'Chaim Society, the local chapter of Chabad. "I am a Christian boy but I study the Torah every week," he said, adding that he just finished Genesis. "I study the Bible and the Torah. I do love faith." Booker was invited to the Whitenack Road synagogue through longtime Newark civic leader Steve Adubato Sr., who is a friend of a congregation member.
A graduate of Stanford University, Oxford and Yale Law School, Booker became mayor of Newark in 2006.
Rabbi John Schechter, spiritual leader of the congregation, opened the program by praising Booker and Adubato as "extraordinary friends of the Jewish community." Adubato then introduced Booker.
"It's very important to be proud of where you live," Adubato said. He predicted that Booker, who faces re-election in May, would win another four-year term and "make Newark very proud."
Wearing a white yarmulke, Booker stepped up and affectionately put his arm around Adubato, saying they had not always agreed but built a relationship of "mutual respect and mutual love."
He thanked B'nai Israel for the invitation, stood to the side of the podium and went on to speak for about 40 minutes without notes. The crowd listened intently and often laughed to a mix of exhortations, personal stories, and accounts of Newark citizens striving to improve their quality of life.
'Moral Courage'
Booker quoted the late Rev. Martin Luther King as saying that evil triumphs not so much on the actions of bad people, but on the inaction of the good.
"Moral courage is the question of the day," Booker told the crowd. He said the focus should be not on divisions but on right and wrong, and whether people have the courage to address the latter.
He said there were several examples of that in history, such as the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. "We are here because of moral courage."
Booker said that in Newark, he sees examples of moral courage regularly. He spoke of a man who used his federal stimulus check to buy a lawn mower and clean up a vacant lot that had been frequented by drug dealers; and another man who recovered from gunshot wounds and signed up for the Newark Police Academy.
Real courage, he added, is as simple as "getting up every single day and extending some bit of kindness, decency and love."
Booker talked about his introduction to Judaism at Oxford, and how people gain knowledge when they step outside their "comfort zone."
He recalled how he hit it off with a rabbi, who introduced him to Jewish books, while Booker introduced the rabbi to the writings of Malcolm X.
He said that living up to one's ideals and values is "such a hard thing to do," yet "in this world it is so desperately needed."
"We are not the nation of our dreams," he continued. He said the goals of liberty and justice for all are widely admired but "we are not there yet."
Booker said he joined the Newark Borough Council in 1998 with bold dreams but found he wasn't equipped to execute them. He would learn, among other things, to judge neighborhoods not by their appearance but by the people who live there.
His "lowest point" was his first year on the council, when he found he was just one of nine people. But he said the Bible reminded him that with faith, "you can move a mountain."
"We allow our inability to do everything to undermine our ability to do something," he told the crowd.
Ultimately, he said, Newark has made strides through initiatives like citizen night patrols. He said gun violence in the city is down 46 percent in the last three years - a drop second in the nation behind only Los Angeles.
People can accept things as they are or take responsibility to do something, he said. Moral courage is drawn from within and from others, and there is "a divinity that exists in every one of us."
A better life can be achieved not only in Newark but across the nation, he said. "We will make it the promised land."
Progress In Newark
Booker went on to field questions from adults and children as young as 12 for the next 50 minutes.
One man praised the mayor but voiced concern about anti-Semitism in the black community. Booker, who is African-American, replied that while anti-Semitism remains a challenge, the actions of a few should not define an entire race.
He added, "Rather than just saying, 'I wish the other group could understand me,' you should be breaking down walls and starting relationships."
Booker was also asked about efforts to improve Newark. He cited educational initiatives, economic incentives and a program that helps ex-convicts re-integrate into employment and family life.
"I want Newark to be the incubator of programs that change America," he declared. He said the city has many advantages, including two rail lines, several colleges and close proximity to New York.
Booker said that after much discussion with his staff, he has chosen to promote the city nationally by appearing on network television shows.
"I decided to jump in because we believe that by telling Newark's story, we're going to get people to invest in Newark again," he said.
He said he remains a fan of President Barack Obama, for whom he campaigned, and he praised Obama for "taking on the difficult fights - things we have not been doing."
Asked if the president would come to Newark this spring to help his re-election bid, Booker drew laughs by replying, "If I need to bring in President Obama to win, we are in big trouble."
One boy in the audience asked Booker if he wants to be president.
"President of Newark sanitation," he quipped. "I want to be a phenomenal mayor for the next five years and then, I don't know."
After finishing up with the questions, Booker stayed for an extra half-hour to talk with several teens who gathered around him. He didn't leave until 11 p.m.
Congregation members were impressed.
"I thought he was phenomenal," said the congregation's president, Larry Rosin of Bernardsville. "To be able to speak like that with no notes - it was an inspiring, inspirational speech."
Edana Desatnick of Basking Ridge agreed.
"I feel so incredibly inspired," she said. "There is so much more each one of us can do, to make things better."
