(Courtesy of The Jewish Historical Society) The Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey will honor Richard Polton at its annual Gala Tribute Dinner on May 15, at 6:00 p.m. at Barnert Temple, in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Polton will be honored for his outstanding leadership, generosity and commitment to the preservation and promotion of Jewish history in Northern New Jersey. Tickets to the event are available to the community for $80 per person. Tickets can be obtained by calling the society at 201-300-6590, or mail checks to 17-10 River Road, Suite 3A, Fair Lawn, NJ, 07410. Barnert Temple is located at 747 Route 208 South in Franklin Lakes. Profits benefit the Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey, a 501(c)3 organization.
Paterson-born Polton is many things to many people. In one facet of his life, he is a historian, and he is being honored by the Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey for his generous, passionate support of community mission, identity and history. Polton is the society’s president, a fundraiser and a donor. He is also a student of and enthusiast for local history, an author and lecturer, particularly about Jewish, Patersonian and New Jersey industrial, urban and architectural history.
“I would describe Richard as the real deal,” observed Jack DeStefano. “A gentleman scholar in pursuit of truth and promotion of his hometown.” DeStefano is the director of the Paterson Museum. “His mission is to educate and provide people with another reason to be proud to say that they come from Paterson.”
Marty Feitlowitz, the society’s vice-president, is an architect, and served as the chairman of the Paterson Historic Commission. He shared, “Richard is gifted and proficient in many fields, which include the fact that he studied architecture. He is the managing partner of a real estate consulting firm. He is an accomplished author and he is the developer of an award-winning apartment building in Montclair.” Feitlowitz added, “He still finds time to be a very capable leader of our organization, and he is an all-around good guy.”
“He is a Renaissance man,” observed Joy S. Kurland, executive director of the society. “He loves so many things. I witnessed his presentation about Fred Wesley Wentworth and was amazed at how he brought things together, weaving civic, Judaic, architectural and popular history into a wonderful story.”
Polton is the author of “The Life and Times of Fred Wesley Wentworth: The Architect Who Shaped Paterson, NJ and Its People” (2012, distributed by Rutgers University Press). Wentworth was an architect from a prominent New England family who designed the iconic art-deco Temple Emanuel and the Fabian Theater. In partnership with Jewish entrepreneur Jacob Fabian, he redefined the architecture of movie theaters and he designed other local homes and buildings, among them recognized landmarks in Paterson, including the Broadway Baptist Church and the YMCA. Polton’s book was featured in the Wall Street Journal. New Jersey Monthly called the work “pioneering and intriguing” and even recommended it for their holiday gift list.
