Cheers to Marc Abrams, President of Greenwich Reform Synagogue, for Getting the Job Done!

Greenwich, CT – The Greenwich Reform Synagogue will finally have a prominent place to call its own. The GRS purchased land parcels for construction of its new building at 92 and 96 Orchard Street in Cos Cob in Greenwich.

For 20 years, the GRS home was at 257 Stanwich Road, two miles north of its new location at 92 Orchard. Most of the synagogue members have been driving up Orchard to Stanwich for years, so the new location means almost no net change in the town traffic patterns.

Here’s the big deal here: it finally got done. For some time the synagogue was engaged in a fight with the town who wanted to block construction of the synagogue for unknown reasons – seriously, it was not clear if it was anti-semitism or what. Ostensibly it was a zoning matter, but the argument was quite flimsy as this particular area was some sort of no-man’s land, nothing was classified as anything.

As any resident of Greenwich knows, the synagogue has been a contentious fight but the healer-in-chief, also the President of the Greenwich Reform Synagogue Marc Abrams proved to be the peacemaker that he campaigned on. He successfully defended this community’s right to celebrate their history and traditions and did it in the most dignified of ways – by bringing together different members of the community. Below, here are some photos of the construction with Abrams attending the opening ceremony.

The post Cheers to Marc Abrams, President of Greenwich Reform Synagogue, for Getting the Job Done! appeared first on Marc Abrams Greenwich.

from
http://marcabramsgreenwich.com/greenwich-reform-synagogue-land-parcels/

The American Tradition: The Life of Lisa Abrams

Lisa Abrams, wife of Greenwich Reform Synagogue President Marc Abrams, is our resident of the week. Lisa’s story is a heartwarming story of someone who intelligently used the tools made available to her by our government to create incredible success. Lisa is the true definition of an American success story (and inspirational mom)! And is truly a testament of courage and a shining example of some of the incredible individuals serving in our Armed Forces.

Lisa Abrams was the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Museum for African Art in New York until 2013. She earned her PhD from University of East Anglia Sainsbury Research Center in the United Kingdom and wrote her dissertation on the art market, while her fieldwork was conducted in Senegal, Nigeria, Mali, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Lisa taught several classes for the School of World Art at the University of East Anglia and the MA course in the Arts of Africa for the Sainsbury Research Center. Lisa also worked at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum and taught at the University of Colorado at Denver, the Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the Community College of Denver.

Lisa served in the United States Navy as an Aviation Electrician on F-14 fighter jets before attending college with funds from the GI Bill. She received her associate degree from Cuyahoga Community College, bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University, master’s degree from Kent State University, and doctorate from the University of East Anglia. She is the author of several publications and was curator of traveling exhibitions including El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You About Africa.

She now lives in Greenwich with her husband Marc and two year old son. They are expecting twin girls in December 2016.

The post The American Tradition: The Life of Lisa Abrams appeared first on Marc Abrams Greenwich.

from
http://marcabramsgreenwich.com/american-tradition-life-lisa-abrams/