A Table for Two Tired Legs – A Tribute to Jerusalem Pizza, Highland Park

May 5, 2024 by Chef David

By Sam Herreid

This past November we read Hayei Sarah, possibly my favorite Parsha of the entire Torah. Why? Some might say it is the story of the original shidduch, but for me, it’s the biblical running action:

וירץ העבד לקראתה ויאמר הגמיאיני נא מעט מים מכדל
The servant ran towards her to say, “Please, let me sip a little water from your jar.”
ותרץ עוד אל־הבאר לשאב ותשאב לכל־גמליו
[Rebecca] ran back to the well to draw.
ותרץ הנער ותגד לבית אמה כדברים האלה
[Rebecca] ran and told all this to her mother’s household.
וירץ לבן אל־האיש החוצה אל־העין
Laban ran out to the man, to the spring.

This passage is somewhere between a Hollywood romance and a Nike commercial. The beauty is the mechanism to move a human body from one place to another quickly, is fundamentally unchanged between biblical times and today. More specifically, moving a human body from their front door—to a distant Jewish neighborhood for a kosher slice.

Destination: Jerusalem Pizza a highly-rated kosher pizzeria in Highland Park, New Jersey for over 30 years. This would be my first time there.

I went to sleep immediately after Havdalah, setting an alarm for 2:45 AM Sunday morning. My heart raced at the first sound of the alarm. An early alarm for an adventure run causes my eyes to bolt open and brings a smile to my face. I jump out of bed and start looking for the clothes and snacks I laid out the night before. I put on my tiny backpack filling it with some snacks leaving room for my windbreaker.

I clicked on my headlamp and stepped out on my front porch in Bradley Beach, New Jersey grinning. Then I started my watch and ran down the middle of my dark, empty street at 3:27 AM.

I headed North through Asbury Park and Deal, I saw deer and counted mansions with mezuzot. I ran inland through Red Bank as the sun rose, and wished a good morning to the early local runners and walkers along the Henry Hudson Bike Trail.

I had mapped my run over a few questionable overpasses where the shoulder might disappear and the car lanes shrink, too close for comfort. With not much of a plan B other than “Run fast, Sammy!” I pushed forward, finding that the Parkway, Turnpike, and Route 1 were all survivable on foot.

I passed by Cheesequake and Sayreville taking a proper tour of quirky New Jersey. My legs were still feeling great when I made it to New Brunswick around mile 44 and got a beautiful panoramic view of the Raritan River. My empty stomach was following my watch’s GPS to Highland Park.

I crossed the Raritan River and ran the glorious last few strides enjoying the Main Street storefronts like I was winning a marathon no one knew about. I saw the black awning with “Jerusalem Pizza” in block lettering and a strong “bring them home” sentiment.

I stopped my watch and went inside. No one rolled their eyes at my 45-mile run-depleted appearance as I ordered a few slices and sat in a booth, smirking, knowing I might be their first customer who came from Bradley Beach, on foot, specifically to have a slice of their pizza.

It was excellent. I benched and caught NJ transit home.

Run – 45 miles – mostly on back roads, with some questionable highway shoulder running. 5/5 stars.
Pizza: Jerusalem Pizza Highland Park, New Jersey – Great service and delicious pizza eaten in a booth. 5/5 stars.
Public Transportation home: NJ transit with a long, cold layover in Rahway.

****

On February 6th I was shocked and devastated to learn that Jerusalem Pizza had burned down. I hope that with community, support, and maybe a little humor we can all help bring this beautiful business back to Highland Park. As my Rabbi taught me, the baseline necessities for a functional Jewish community are a mikvah, Kosher pizza, and a Beit Knesset, in that order.