TOMS RIVER - Bagels, pastries and crafts were the foundation of Wednesday night's Craft for Kindness event at the local branch of the Ocean County public library.

Wearing black aprons, around 30 people from different backgrounds gathered in the library's Mancini Hall to craft and connect with one another, the larger aim being to help bridge the region's racial, cultural, ethnic and religious divides.

Judy Fuentes, a former Lakewood High School staffer, is the mastermind behind Craft for Kindness. She believes in the power of communion to bring cultures together. The event followed in the footsteps of March's Kneading for Kindness event held at the Ramada Hotel & Suites on Route 9, where about 100 women made challah bread and learned from each other.

"We wanted to continue what was started back then and show the world that in our little corner of the world we care for each other," Fuentes said. "In our area, sadly, there is a lot of anti-Semitism. That's why it is remarkable to have this event in which Jews and gentiles are getting together

The meeting room was set up with chairs and tables, where the participants, working in close quarters, got their hands dirty with acrylic paint, glitter and glue, at once unleashing their creativity and good will.

The effort comes as Ocean County communities continue to struggle — as evidenced by frequent clashes in social media and over public policy — with cultural change driven by a growing Orthodox Jewish population centered in Lakewood and spreading into the neighboring towns of Jackson and Toms River.

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With hate crimes throughout New Jersey on the rise, many of those in attendance felt the event was necessary to begin building bridges of understanding.

"It's great to be together with people from different cultures and origins," Toms River resident Crystal Glover, 46, said. "Events like this need to happen at least once a month so we can come together and teach our children to love one another."

Related:Orthodox Jewish women connect with Ocean County neighbors by baking challah bread

The event kicked off with a rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" and a moment of silence to remember the fallen during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. For Manchester resident Lynette Hernández, 50, singing the national anthem in this event meant a lot.

"There are horrible things happening around us and being able to be here makes me feel sentimental," Hernández said. "It is wonderful to sit down with people you don't know and have a nice time."

This time, the crowd of mostly women and children painted and decorated wooden cubes with materials donated by Vintage Van Gogh's art studio out of Point Pleasant Beach. The artsy approach offered a creative venue to begin tightening the community, said Jessica Gartner, 56, a resident of Toms River who was painting her wooden cube blue, white and yellow.

"There is so much hate in our area, but we need to realize what we have in common. We just need to unite and this is such a friendly way to get to know each other," Gartner said.

More:Hundreds of women flock to Freehold 'challah bake'

Some preferred to watch from the sidelines while considering what would make such initiatives stronger.

"I'm not working on any craft, but I am working on a Danish," joked Solomon Erenthal, 56, who thinks more men need to show up at events like this. "Look around, there are only women and children. And that's great. But we need more men here. Men need to stop being so macho and come together to start erasing this ignorance surrounding us."

This event was hosted by The Asbury Park Press in conjunction with their ongoing Unity Project, an initiative aiming to educate people about the Orthodox community in Lakewood and the surrounding townships.

Gustavo Martínez Contreras covers Lakewood. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso and the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. Contact him at gmartinez@gannettnj.com or at 732-643-4061.