by Elaine Durbach
NJJN Bureau Chief/Central

January 24, 2008

Call it “dialing for dollars”: At its annual Super Sunday phonathon on Jan. 27, the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey will offer prize incentives for local Jewish institutions.

Any synagogue, agency, or organization sending 10 or more volunteers in its name will be eligible to enter a drawing for a prize of $1,000. All those teams will receive a share of a $9,000 “Go for the Gold” pot.

The goal, of course, is to boost excitement and attendance at the fund-raiser, the largest of the federation’s yearlong campaign. While Super Sunday is about bringing in money, not dishing it out, organizers are confident that the contest will ultimately generate more dollars for local and global Jewish needs.

“If this brings in more people, it’s a good use of that money,” said Debbie Rosenwein, the federation’s director of planning and allocations.

The annual event attracts hundreds of volunteers, and this year the federation hopes as many as 500 come to staff phone banks, process pledges, serve refreshments, collect food donations, and do anything else it takes to help reach a goal of at least $600,000.

Michelle Rudin of Somerset plans to be among those helping. The teen is leaving for Israel that afternoon on a high school experience but is determined to put in her time helping the Super Sunday effort. She will join her mother, Lois, and other teen volunteers from their congregation, Temple Har Shalom in Warren.

The federation campaign supports local Jewish agencies and causes, as well as projects in Israel and around the world.

The cochairs for this year’s Super Sunday, Amy Kasson of Warren and Scott Spector of Scotch Plains, have had a longer-than-usual apprenticeship. They were co-vice chairs in 2006, serving under cochairs Brian Margulies and Adina Ziegler, but when snow forced a cancellation of all their plans for that day, the four of them agreed to keep their positions, and worked together to organize Super Sunday 2007.

Now Spector and Kasson are the “elder statesmen” of the organizing committee, and both talk with confidence about the importance of the day and of having the community pull together. Both come from a background of activism, and have — as Spector put it — “a gut feeling for tikun olam [repairing the world].”

‘Way to give back’

For Rob Tucker of Westfield, serving as co-vice chair together with his wife, Suzanne, planning Super Sunday has meant taking on a totally new challenge. He said the two of them decided to get more involved after going to Israel just over a year ago with the family mission organized by the federation.

Suzanne has been involved longer. As a teenager and young adult, she did volunteer work for local and national political campaigns, and then — when she took a hiatus from work after her second child was born — she began doing community work.

She joined the board of the Jewish Community Center of Central New Jersey in 2002 and through that, immediately got involved in Super Sunday. She said that over the years, she made phone calls and helped with administration and with the blood drive held in conjunction with the day. She also cochaired the federation Genesis leadership development program a few years ago, and she is on its Women’s Campaign Cabinet.

But what really inspired her to get more involved was that trip to Israel.

“It was such a wonderful experience for all of us,” she said. “After the trip, we were asked whether we’d like to consider cochairing Super Sunday, and we decided that it would be a great way to give back and to involve our whole family in that experience. This year has been a learning process for Rob and me, as we prepare to bring our own ideas and perspective to the planning for next year.”

While volunteers are sometimes reticent to call potential donors and ask for money, Suzanne said she gets up her confidence by focusing on the purpose.

“The work that federation does is so important, and the calling process is such a big part of the success of Super Sunday,” she said. “Although it can be difficult to ask strangers for money — as it can also be to ask people who aren’t strangers — it’s important to focus on the goal and the realization that if we don’t call, we won’t reach that goal. So, although it’s not something I personally find easy to do, I do it.”

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Super Sunday 2008

What: Day-long fund-raiser for the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey

Where: Wilf Jewish Community Campus, Scotch Plains

When: Sunday, Jan. 27, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Special events: Showcase on youth programs, teen activities, music by the Shabbattones, blood drive, social action projects, and children’s arts and crafts

For more information, contact Debbie Rosenwein or Lillah Nussbaum or call 908-889-5335.