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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; Sidney Friedman was among the crowd at the groundbreaking ceremony for the much-anticipated Center for Jewish Life.</p><p>Friedman, 87, did not expect the building would be named after him and his late wife.</p><p>The ceremony was held Sunday for the Sidney and Pauline Friedman Center for Jewish Life at what is currently 301 Third Ave. Paula Chaiken, co-chair of the capital campaign for the Jewish Community Alliance of Northeastern Pennsylvania, however, noted the Jewish faith has 613 commandments.</p><p>Fittingly, the new address for the center will be 613 Third Ave.</p><p>According to a news release announcing the official name of the new center, Sidney and Pauline Friedman &#8220;took an active and leading roll in a number of organizations&#8221; and naming the building after them is a way to honor their legacies.</p><p>Pauline Friedman died in 2008.</p><p>Sidney was at the event with his son, Rob, 60, of Dallas. Rob joked his father would not have wanted the building named after him, as he does not like to be the center of attention.</p><p>When the sign was unveiled showing the name of the future center, Sidney became emotional.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sure he was excited, surprised I think, but my dad is a very modest person,&#8221; Rob said. He also joked,&#8220;He&#8217;s probably a little mad at me right now.&#8221;</p><p>True to his son&#8217;s word, Sidney declined to comment, but did speak highly of Rob.</p><p>&#8220;I have a wonderful son,&#8221; he said.</p><p><strong>Ensuring future generations</strong></p><p>For JCA president Mitch Kornfeld, the large turnout at the celebration showed the support and excitement for the future building.</p><p>&#8220;You can feel the vibe out in the community right now,&#8221; said Kornfeld. &#8220;You could see just by the turnout that everybody&#8217;s willing to get involved, and this is the time. This is when everybody needs to get in the game, and help participate and make the future alive.&#8221;</p><p>Members of the community, JCA officials and government officials gathered to celebrate the future building at an event that included music, food and prayer.</p><p>Among those in attendance were council members from the Municipality of Kingston, as well as state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, and state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston.</p><p>According to a news release, the Sidney and Pauline Friedman Center for Jewish Life will feature a state-of-the-art pool and fitness center, basketball courts and exercise studios. The building will also feature modern classrooms and meeting spaces, along with library and resource rooms and office space for synagogues, Jewish counseling services and other Jewish agencies.</p><p>Kornfeld said $6.8 million has been raised so far by donors to construct the building, which is planned to have approximately 68,000 square feet of floor space. He anticipated another $2 million will be needed from donors in the community.</p><p>Kornfeld added the final design for the building is in place and will soon be given to the architect who will then &#8220;put some numbers to the design.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re still working on the budget,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We feel that probably by April, things will start moving.&#8221;</p><p>Kornfeld did not given an estimated completion date for the building.</p><p><strong>Honoring the past</strong></p><p>&#8220;L&#8217;dor V&#8217;dor.&#8221;</p><p>The Hebrew phrase for &#8220;generation to generation&#8221; provides the connection officials said the Sidney and Pauline Friedman Center for Jewish Life will help to accomplish.</p><p>The new center will replace the aging Jewish Community Center and Jewish Family Service buildings in Wilkes-Barre, and will be open to people of all faiths.</p><p>Chuck Cohen, a member of the building committee for JCA, said the new Center for Jewish Life will help lead the way for other communities to maintain their Jewish communities.</p><p>&#8220;It will also serve as a model for Jewish communities throughout the United States who are facing challenging demographic trends and need to reinvent themselves for a new generation of Jews with different priorities, needs and goals,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Bruce Lefkowitz had a similar feeling about the new Jewish center.</p><p>The 51-year-old Kingston resident, a third generation pharmacist and owner of Harrold&#8217;s Pharmacy in Wilkes-Barre, attended the event with his mother, Sandie.</p><p>He saw the new Jewish center is a way to acknowledge the area&#8217;s roots while looking to the future.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been involved with the JCC my entire life, and I came here today because I&#8217;m just thrilled at the potential,&#8221; Lefkowitz said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Paula Chaiken, co-chairwoman of the Center for Jewish Life campaign, speaks to the crowd at an event celebrating the groundbreaking the new Center for Jewish Life in Kingston on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL100515jewishcentertk12.jpg</photo0><caption0>Paula Chaiken, co-chairwoman of the Center for Jewish Life campaign, speaks to the crowd at an event celebrating the groundbreaking the new Center for Jewish Life in Kingston on Sunday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL100515jewishcentertk22.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Attendees of the ground-breaking ceremony for the Center for Jewish Life gather in a succah, or tent made from natural materials, for refreshments on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL100515jewishcentertk22.jpg</photo1><caption1>Attendees of the ground-breaking ceremony for the Center for Jewish Life gather in a succah, or tent made from natural materials, for refreshments on Sunday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Center for Jewish Life named for Friedmans</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Community celebrates ground-breaking for Sidney and Pauline Friedman Center for Jewish Life in Kingston