After the parks commission said no, Amity Bicycles’ owners found somewhere they could donate a bike rack: Westville’s “green” synagogue.
Guy and Sue D’Aniello originally offered to donate much-needed bike racks to city parks. In September the Board of Parks Commissioners thanked the couple but turned down the offer because the racks would have stickers advertising their bicycle shop just over the Woodbridge line. Commissioners said their policy is not to allow ads in parks.
Jay Sokolow, president of Congregation Beth-El Keser Israel, read an Independent article about the parks commissioners’ decision and came up with a pitch to the D’Aniellos: We’ll take them! The synagogue has carved a reputation for its environmental consciousness for, among other decisions, placing solar panels on its roof. (Click here and here to read about that.)
The D’Aniellos were happy to oblige, and this week the sticker-festooned rack was installed, offering a convenient place to park for pedal-powered shul-goers. Pictured (from left): Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen, Sokolow, and Guy and Sue D’Aniello.