(Courtesy of JLE) This past June, when flowers and trees everywhere were in bloom and the world was on the cusp of a new summer, another thriving mainstay of northern New Jersey suddenly stepped out of the picture. Marcia Kaplan, z”l passed away after stoically living with several debilitating ailments for several decades.
Marcia was the wife of 46 years to Sam Kaplan, the mother of Aryeh, Devorah (Merriam), Yoel, Ely and Yonatan, a working mikvah attendant and receptionist of 25 years, and a member of Cong. Beth Aaron in Teaneck, where she had been active in younger years and a former sisterhood president. She was also a member of Cong. Shaare Tefillah, also in Teaneck, a former TABC board member, one of Teaneck’s few shatnez checkers, and perhaps most memorably, one of the figureheads of the Jewish Learning Experience of Bergen County (JLE). Husband Sam was one of the original founders of the JLE, along with Aaron Mandelbaum, Jeff Glazer, Rabbi Michael Taubes, Louis Karp and Zvi Weissler.
Through the JLE, Sam and Marcia’s home was the epicenter for newcomers traveling into the Jewish world to find their first taste of Shabbat or connect to their first religious family. While the JLE grew and branched out its offerings, such as High Holiday services, holiday celebrations, classes, and one-on-one learning, Sam and Marcia’s home grew in popularity. Marcia devotedly purchased and prepared large quantities of food for crowds each Shabbat as well as for holidays and special occasions. She graciously sacrificed her sleep to be ready for the many souls out there who were in the process of finding their way back to their heritage and would be coming to her dining room.
Sam and Marcia’s five children followed their parents’ example and warmly welcomed strangers into their home from the earliest age. Their only daughter, Devorah, showed women how to light Shabbat and Yom Tov candles and all the Kaplan siblings taught guests how to say the blessing after the ceremonial washing of the hands before bread, answered questions, and guided visitors throughout meals all the way to Birkat Hamazon. The boys often ran to fetch a yarmulke for males to cover their heads or a tallit.
After the unexpected loss of Marcia late this past spring, there was no question that the next JLE annual dinner would be dedicated in her memory. The JLE’s 39th anniversary dinner will be held on Motzei Shabbat, Dec. 14, at Cong. Ahavath Torah in Englewood. The annual dinner is the largest fundraiser of the year for the JLE, which was founded in 1985 as an outreach organization designed to meet the needs of curious Jews who have little to no background in Jewish customs and knowledge.
The JLE is responsible for hundreds and hundreds of religious Jews today, between the first generation who were searching back in the early days of the organization through to their growing Torah-observant families of children and grandchildren today. Dozens of non-Jews have converted since the inception of the JLE.
To register for the JLE anniversary dinner, visit jle.org/events or to request a printed invitation reach out to director Rabbi Jesse Shore at (610) 329-2953 or
[email protected].
