Judge Seth Dombeck was sworn in before Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss, the township council, judiciary, top law enforcement officials and numerous other local, township and county officials and dignitaries at the Irvington Municipal Courthouse in Essex County on March 8.

Elizabeth Rav Elazar M. Teitz, of the Jewish Educational Center, delivered the opening invocation. The judicial oath was administered, with Judge Dombeck’s hand resting on a Chumash, by Irvington Township Municipal Clerk Harold E. Wiener. Also attending were Hillside’s mayor, Angela Garretson; Hillside mayoral candidate Frank Deo; Hillside councilman Gerald “Pateesh” Freedman and Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan.

Representing the Irvington judiciary were Judge Chandra R. Cole of Irvington Township and Judge Anthony Frasca, PJMC, who is the presiding judge over all municipal judges in the Essex vicinage and himself sits in Irvington.

In comments following his swearing in, Judge Dombeck shared some thoughts relevant to the day, expressing “appreciation to the Almighty for the blessings He has bestowed, my parents and family…my children and wife Sara.” He also thanked Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss; Anthony Salters, chairman of the Hillside Democratic Committee.

“Along with the honor comes duty and responsibility,” he said, quoting Pirkei Avot, “which implores us to maintain humility, order and organization.” Dombeck also shared that his appointment fittingly was announced during the week of Parshat Yitro, which outlines the recommendations of Yitro to Moshe to establish a system of judges, making this appointment even more meaningful to him.

The ceremonies were closed by Rabbi Jonathan Schwartz, rav of Adath Israel, where Judge Dombeck and his family are members. In his remarks, Rabbi Schwartz spoke of the American judicial process that is designed to rise above the biases that are so prevalent today, as he blessed the judge’s future work on the bench.

Judge Dombeck is a native of Hillside and a 1996 graduate of the JEC/RTMA in Elizabeth. He makes his home in Hillside with his wife, Sara, a JEC Bruriah graduate from the class of 1997, and their five children, also current or future JEC students.

By Ellie Wolf