Torah Links Hopes for Greater Presence in Local Jewish Community with McGinnis Purchase

Torah Links of Middlesex County has successfully bid to purchase the site of the McGinnis School, and with it, hopes to expand their operations in a concentrated area of East Brunswick's Jewish community.

Torah Links of Middlesex County is a nonprofit Jewish education and outreach organization that aims to educate and support followers of all branches of Judaism, Rabbi Dovid Gross said.

It offers classes and gatherings for men, women and children, as well as a Sunday Hebrew school, Gross said. 

Gross said the organization is moving from its Cornwall Drive office space to the school, located at the corner of Dunhams Corner Road and Hardenburg Lane, for two reasons.

First, to have ample space to accomodate its programs.

"With the sheer number of participants we're having with our classes and programs, sometimes we don't have the ability to accommodate everyone," he said.

Additionally, the McGinnis School site is located in an area where many Jewish residents maintain their homes, he said. 

By being closer to their participants, the organization can better serve them, and increase their numbers, Gross said.

Gross used an example in the saying "An educated consumer is our best consumer."

"Our goal is to make educated consumers out of the members of the Jewish community (to) better appreciate the beauty and richness of their Jewish heritage," he said. 

The McGinnis School has been under township control for the past 21 years, according to township CFO Lou Neely. It was traded to the township as part of a four parcel deal from the Board of Education as collateral for a loan, which was paid back, Neely said.

The township has successfully sold off the other three land parcels over the years, but has placed the McGinnis School up for bid six times, he said. 

The property was sold for $375,000, to be paid in full at closing, and does not have any deed restrictions on it, Neely previously said.

Neely plans to request that the sale be put on the council agenda for July 15.

Gross said that a timeline for the move is not yet known, as the school needs significant work done on it before it can be used again.