In with the new as federation welcomes St. Lifer as president

by Norm Oshrin
Special to NJ Jewish News

K’lal Yisrael” — Robert St. Lifer calls it his “watchword,” what his life is all about. “All Jews are responsible for each other,” he said. “You work your way up and do what you can to help out the community.”

It’s a watchword he shared with an audience at the June 13 annual meeting at the Ruth Hyman JCC in Deal, when he officially succeeded Robert Grossman as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County.

Taking responsibility for his fellow Jews is what St. Lifer has been doing for decades as a key federation supporter.

“That’s how I grew up,” he explained in an interview, describing his formative years in Hillside, near Elizabeth. “We had in our Jewish neighborhood Reform, Conservative, Orthodox Jews. When we had a community meeting [for UJA or Israel Bonds ], everybody showed up, everybody pitched in.”

As president, he intends to encourage his friends, neighbors, and colleagues to do the same at the federation, which has offices in Deal and in western Monmouth.

“I’d like to get more of the community involved,” he said. “We have lots of volunteers, and one of the main reasons I love the federation is the people you work with…good, caring people.”

St. Lifer wants more of them.

“We are looking to reach out to more of Monmouth County, to those who don’t know about the federation and are not familiar with what we do,” he said. Particularly, he added, in western Monmouth where the Jewish population is growing in towns like Marlboro and Manalapan.

Grossman agreed.

“We need to get more in the west involved,” said the immediate past federation president — who leaves office with one regret: “We didn’t get our campaign over $3 million. We are capable of raising $6 million or $7 million,” he said, instead of the $2.5 raised in 2005-06.

The federation is aiming higher, kicking off next year’s campaign with a goal of reaching $3.5 million during the course of the next year or two.

Grossman, an orthopedic physician — who remains as chair of the federation board — says he also regrets “not getting a JCC built in western Monmouth.” But, he promised, “we are going to get it done.”

Howard Gases, the federation’s executive director, emphasized what was accomplished under Grossman’s tenure.

“While being a busy physician, Bob always had federation as a priority,” Gases said. “His commitment was always 100 percent. Under Bob’s leadership, many new initiatives took place. The main one was a community-wide celebration of Israel” — Monmouth Celebrates Israel — “which brought together close to 2,000 people.

“Another program we revitalized under Bob’s presidency was the Washington mission, where close to 30 Monmouth County residents lobbied in support of various Jewish causes,” said Gases.

St. Lifer hopes to build on these successes.

“A lot of people don’t know” about the federation, he said, and how it raises money for local Jewish agencies and activities as well as projects in Israel and other countries. “We need to educate them. That’s my main objective. People ask me all the time: ‘What is federation, what do you do?’ I also want to reach out and have synagogues have a federation day, a Shabbat, a speaker, to tell them.”
Israel remains a priority for St. Lifer.

“My parents were ardent Zionists,” he said — a mindset illustrated dramatically in 1964 when, instead of giving him a bar mitzva party, they took him to Israel.

“It really sparked me,” St. Lifer recalled. “When you go there, you get a special feeling inside of you.” That feeling prompted him to return again and again through the years — including on his honeymoon with Susan, now a teacher in Eatontown.

Federation gives “a lot of support for the State of Israel,” St. Lifer said. “When you see the work these agencies are doing, you feel terrific about the money you’re giving.”

Although “not a meeting person,” St. Lifer said, his first official act will be “to get the executive board together and try to get them excited about our major gifts event and the autumn trip to Israel.”

Affinity and love for Israel is not the only family tradition St. Lifer has perpetuated.

There’s also the men’s clothing business. Over the years, the family operated stores in several New Jersey cities, from Newark and Perth Amboy to Trenton. And for about 30 years now, St. Lifer’s day job has been as proprietor of Roger’s Clothes, a men’s clothing store in the Ocean County Mall in Toms River.

St. Lifer is unsure about how many hours he will be away from his job to pursue his presidential duties at the federation.

“Whatever it takes,” he said, “I’m available.”