A proclamation signed by 23 Monmouth County rabbis endorsing Super Sunday, Nov. 19, the largest single-day fund-raiser of the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County, attests to the importance of this community-wide phonathon.

The proclamation acknowledges the significance of Super Sunday and urges the community to “volunteer and be generous when called.” The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the JCC.

The proclamation is the result of a strong push in the area of community outreach, according to event cochairs Jonathan Barofsky of Ocean Township and Abby Kramsky of Marlboro.

“We asked the rabbis of the synagogues in Monmouth County to recognize the importance of Super Sunday and to spread the word among their congregants,” Kramsky said. “We got a great response.”

The proclamation calls Super Sunday a “time-honored tradition” that unites the county’s Jewish community.

“Super Sunday is a vital effort to raise funds for the annual Jewish Federation campaign, which delivers core services that provide hope, dignity, and comfort to millions of people — Jews and non-Jews, young and old, everywhere there are people in need — not just in Israel, but here in Monmouth County and in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe through our many beneficiary agencies,” the proclamation states.

Members of the Super Sunday committee also asked area synagogues to participate in a “Super Sunday Shabbat” on Nov. 17-18.

The letters, signed by Super Sunday committee member Linda Perchuk of Manalapan, also outlined some of the programs that are supported by the federation. In addition to relief efforts in Israel, the letter highlighted support for programming efforts at the Center for Holocaust Studies at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, scholarships for day school students, and subsidies for teen participation in Israeli travel and summer camp programs.

In addition, federation funds provide assistance to terror victims in Israel, help those who have made aliya, underwrite programs at Jewish community centers and at such agencies as the Jewish Family and Children’s Service, and supply food and medical assistance to Jews in the former Soviet Union.

In 2005, donations also assisted victims of the southeast Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.

“Super Sunday is the one day where we come together as a community and raise money for the wide-ranging programming that is integral to our Federation,” Perchuk and another committee member, Deborah Rettig of Manalapan, said “Join us in answering the call of klal Yisrael….”

“I think we generated a special sense of commitment this year,” said Barofsky. “The Super Sunday committee did all this terrific community outreach so we will have more volunteers and more donors. I think the crisis in Israel will also inspire donations; the situation there is certainly on everyone’s mind.”

In fact, “Make Your Mark All Over the World” is the theme of this year’s Super Sunday event, Kramsky added.

“We strive to make everyone aware of what we do on an international basis,” she said. “But I think what has happened in Israel is a significant factor this year. We have to help rebuild what was destroyed in the northern part of the country, and we can make a difference.”

Those in need in Monmouth County will also benefit from another Super Sunday outreach effort. Approximately 300 bags of personal items and toiletries have already been collected and will be distributed at Sterling Gardens in Matawan.

Steven Resnick, a partner in the catering facility, has organized a Thanksgiving dinner for some of the county’s residents. The dinner is not part of the Super Sunday effort, but Resnick will distribute the bags of personal items to those who attend.

“It’s another way to help people and support Super Sunday at the same time,” he said. “I’m very glad that we could work with the federation in this way.”

There is one other Super Sunday connection this year: Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a noted author who discusses family dynamics and the concept of harmony in books and on radio and television, will appear at Temple Beth Ahm in Aberdeen at 7 p.m. on Nov. 19.

The federation is an event sponsor, and a member of the organization will deliver a short speech about the importance of the federation’s fund-raising efforts, according to Rabbi Michael Pont.

“Rabbi Boteach’s appearance is a major fund-raising effort for our temple,” said Pont. “When I realized that the date coincided with Super Sunday, I called the federation to see if we could help each other out. As a result, a federation representative will talk to the audience before Rabbi Boteach begins his program. It’s another chance for the federation to ask for support on Super Sunday, and there will be about 400 people in the audience who will hear the message.”