TMT: Shomrei Emunah employees weren�t expecting to find two large boxes near the synagogue�s front entrance on Monday morning, July 31. So when a congregant told preschool workers about the two unattended boxes that were wrapped in paper and labeled �Temple,� a call was placed to police.�It was the fact the boxes were wrapped. And also, the nomenclature didn�t ring a bell,� said Rabbi Noach Shapiro. �Someone wrote the word, �Temple� on the outside. A member wouldn�t do that. And it�s unexpected that someone outside the congregation would be leaving a donation.�
Montclair Police Capt. Manny Ayers said police alerted the Montclair Fire Department, the Essex County Bomb Squad and the Montclair Volunteer Ambulance Unit.
Park Street was closed between Walnut Street and Claremont Avenue for about two hours. Homes and busi-nesses within 300 feet of Shomrei Emunah were evacuated, said Capt. Brian Coffin of the Montclair Fire Department.
While the Bomb Squad investigated, children in Shomrei Emunah�s preschool program were taken next door to the American Red Cross Montclair-Nutley-Glen Ridge Chapter, where they were given juice and cookies.
The Bomb Squad�s x-ray equipment revealed the packages� contents: books.
The area was declared safe and the street was opened.
�In today�s climate, it�s best to err on the side of caution,� Shapiro said. �Basically, what it came down to is someone decided to generously donate books written in Hebrew.�
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