Stephen Wise Free Synagogue

Most of the 750 young adults who packed a cavernous room in Manhattan’s Puck Building last week wouldn’t have come near a UJA-Federation of New York event three or four years ago, one of the function’s organizers said. And half of those who came last week, he added, will never again be seen by federation leaders.

On a recent winter morning the 130 children attending the nursery school at Manhattan’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue are engaged in such hands-on projects as building a sukkah, maintaining a rooftop garden and creating small clay sculptures. Some have designed a replica of the Brooklyn Bridge, made from Styrofoam and other objects, while each class has met with a Jewish scribe to learn about a project that involves the entire congregation: the drafting of a Torah to mark the synagogue’s 100th anniversary.

On a recent winter morning the 130 children attending the nursery school at Manhattan’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue are engaged in such hands-on projects as building a sukkah, maintaining a rooftop garden and creating small clay sculptures. Some have designed a replica of the Brooklyn Bridge, made from Styrofoam and other objects, while each class has met with a Jewish scribe to learn about a project that involves the entire congregation: the drafting of a Torah to mark the synagogue’s 100th anniversary.