By Felicia L. Niven
Before the phrase “the American dream” found its way into speeches and history books, before generations spoke of reinvention and new beginnings, there was Woodbine – a patch of sandy South Jersey earth where hope was not an idea but a wager.
More than a century ago, philanthropist Baron Maurice de Hirsch imagined a place where newly arrived Jewish immigrants could trade persecution for independence—where land replaced restriction, and dignity grew alongside crops. His vision, tied to broader efforts reaching from Argentina to the United States and even Israel, turned this small New Jersey settlement into something far greater than a town. It became an experiment in freedom, resilience, and the stubborn hope that a new life could be planted—and take root.
“It was known by some as the Woodbine experiment,” said Michael Azeez, founder of the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage. His father, Sam Azeez, was among the residents in the early 20th century. “In 1890, when this started, the goal was to bring Russian Jews to a new country and give them the opportunity to build new lives. The Baron wasn’t religious, and he wasn’t a Zionist — he simply wanted to help the Jewish people. At the time, he was one of the ten wealthiest people in the world.”
The concept was to sell a plot of land, not give it, to ensure recipients were invested in the project. The charge: $100, about $1,000 in today’s dollars. For that, you got a house, a cow, some chickens, and 30 acres of ground that you could farm. “It was a totally different existence for a lot of Jews, because they weren't allowed to own ground in Europe,” said Azeez. “They weren't farmers. They had to be taught how to farm. And it wasn’t easy. The ground in Woodbine wasn’t even cleared.”
“They weren’t making money farming; it was hard to grow anything in that red, sandy soil,” said Jane Stark, executive director. “They needed to generate some wages. That’s when they started bringing factories into town. They gave factory owners free rent, free electric, free water, in exchange for the wages that they would provide to the residents.” There were 26 different factories in Woodbine at its height, most of them textiles, but there also was a rubber factory, chemical factory, tool and dye factory.
At the heart of this Jewish community was a synagogue. Jewish residents started building it in 1893. The Brotherhood Synagogue was consecrated in 1896 – with 2026 marking its 130th anniversary. The synagogue became the centerpiece for the town, and it is part of the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage.
Sam Azeez arrived at Woodbine at age four in 1936. He came with his mother, a recent divorcee. She worked in her father’s bakery. At the time, the Jewish population was half the town. “My grandmother worked in the bakery but also got a job at a factory,” said Michael. “So, the town raised my dad as much as his mother did.”
Sam went on to college at Rutgers, pausing his studies to come back and take care of his ailing grandmother. He earned a degree in electrical engineering from Temple University and went on to work at RCA. He ultimately would be known for revolutionizing the stock market by helping to develop a real-time computer quotation system in 1959 with some co-workers at RCA.
By the time Sam passed in 2000, Woodbine looked very different from the community he had known. Only a small number of Jewish families still lived there, and the Brotherhood synagogue—once the largest of four in town—was fighting to keep its doors open.
“My dad never forgot where he came from,” Michael said. Determined to honor both his father and the town’s legacy, Michael restored the historic synagogue in 2003 and transformed it into a Jewish heritage museum bearing Sam Azeez’s name. He spent nearly two years visiting various museums and working with a design firm in Philly, as well as with
mentors such as John Scarpa, a dear friend of his father’s. For a few years, the museum was part of Stockton University but recently separated to become an independent nonprofit.
Executive Director Jane Stark has been there for 23 years. “I was like anybody else who knew nothing about Woodbine,” she said. “And so, it has become my life's work.”
Designated as a Teaching Center for the NJ Commission on Holocaust Education, the Museum provides both onsite and in-classroom programming to students from 5th through 12th grades. It is free to tour and events are year-round.
“Over the years, more than 18,000 students have walked through our doors—Brotherhoods, Sisterhoods, and groups representing all religions and backgrounds,” said Jane. “So many visitors discover a personal connection. Woodbine may have started as a Jewish settlement, but it grew into something beautifully multicultural—Italian, African American, Polish families all building lives side by side. And what’s remarkable is what you don’t hear about: there was no hate, no racism, no antisemitism. I’ve heard that time and again from people who lived here or knew people who did.”
Today, the museum stands not just as a preservation of the past, but as a living testament to what can happen when opportunity meets courage. Within the restored walls of the Brotherhood Synagogue, the story of Woodbine is told and retold, a story of perseverance and inclusion.
In a quiet corner of South Jersey, the wager placed more than a century ago is still paying dividends. Not in crops or factory wages, but in memory, education, and shared humanity. Woodbine began as an experiment. It endures as proof — that when people are given the chance to build, they don’t just create livelihoods. They create legacy.
The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage - 610 Washington Avenue, Woodbine, NJ, United States
For more information about the https://woodbinemuseum.org
The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage
