Around the Table
A Place to Call Home E X E T E R ’ S J E W I S H C O M M U N I T Y P U T S D OW N P E R M A N E N T RO O T S O N C A M P U S
F
MIKE CATANO
or Bruce Saber ’76, part of coming to
terms with his younger brother’s death in the 9/11 terrorist attacks meant finding a proper memorial. Bruce wanted to honor Scott Saber ’82 in a way that would be as lasting as his own grief. “We thought of several ways to memorialize him,” Saber says. “I felt I wanted to do something at Exeter, but for a while I wasn’t sure. For a couple of years, we discussed it with Ron Suduiko, [regional director of PEA’s major gifts], but nothing clicked.” Shortly afterward Saber learned the Academy had its first rabbi and then received its first Torah, donated in 2004. “The lightbulb went off,” he says. Conversations with Suduiko ’68 and Rabbi Jennifer Marx Asch resulted in “the perfect idea” for remembering his brother, who had been working as an equities director for UBS Warburg in one of the twin towers when the planes struck. Marx Asch says Saber was “excited to hear about all that was happening in our Exeter Jewish community and wanted to support this growth and renewal. So, I said, ‘You know, we could use an ark for our new Torah’ . . . and he answered, ‘Hineini—Here I am.’ ” The ark—designed to house the Academy’s Torahs—was dedicated last September, on the first night of Rosh Hashanah, with Saber, his family, and members of the PEA and local Jewish community in attendance. During the service, Saber talked about Scott, how he lived his life and what it means for the ark to be given in his honor. “The ark is a lovely permanent location to honor my brother. . . . Scott’s memory will live on here at Exeter, and there can be no greater tribute to my brother,” Saber says. Encased in the east wall (traditional positioning for prayer facing toward Jerusalem) in Phillips Church’s Stuckey Room, the ark was designed by PEA’s Lead Carpenter/Mason Matthew “Mickey” Kucharski Jr. and built by members of the carpentry shop. Standing just under 10 feet tall and 7 feet wide, the ark—cut from regionally grown white oak—has an oval arch and four doors covering large, curtained compartments. Embellishing the holy chest, which is recessed 20 inches into the wall, are black metal handles, and curved rod iron tendrils with ruby-colored, glass-jeweled pomegranates, which is a staple fruit in the Middle East and referenced in the Bible more than two dozen times. The iron trim displays roots signifying permanency and blooms representing the future. The doors contain vertical stained glass, with pastoral scenes in muted blues, greens and whites. A small dedication plaque hangs on the wall beside the ark where Scott will be remembered in perpetuity. “Growing up Jewish was very important to our family,” Saber says. “Most of our friends and neighbors were Jewish. We left a large Jewish ghetto on Long Island and came to a place [PEA] where Jews were scarce and unknown. We didn’t have this.” Saber gestures toward the ark, with the sacred Torahs inside and the rabbi standing nearby. “This is amazing,” he concludes. Marx Asch adds, “Building a beautiful ark not only adds to the honor and decorum of our Jewish holiday and Shabbat services, but more importantly the ark marks a permanent home for the Jewish community, [providing] a sense of belonging and rootedness that we had not yet experienced at the Academy. The Jewish students, faculty and staff now feel acknowledged and welcomed as a valued part of our diverse Academy community.”
At the ark’s dedication, from left to right: Rabbi Jennifer Marx Asch; Bruce Saber ’76 and his wife, Lisa Sotto; their children, Arielle, Shane and Rebecca; Michael Freedman, his wife, Jennifer, and their son, Max ’13; and Rev. Robert Thompson ’72.
WINTER 2012
The Exeter Bulletin
7