EAST BRUNSWICK — The parking lots were so full Saturday at the Value City furniture store on Sixth Street in the township that when owner Simon Kaplan arrived, he had to park across the street.

But Kaplan didn’t mind. He was happy to see so many superstorm Sandy survivors at the store, choosing new furniture to replace items lost during the storm.
Kaplan’s donation of $78,000 worth of furniture, most of it clearance items from his stores, was the latest in a series of efforts spearheaded by the borough of Madison, partnering with the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, based in the Whippany section of Hanover.

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UNION BEACH — Volunteering to help clean up storm-damaged properties here is “just the right thing to do,” said one volunteer.

Patrick Whalen, 20, and Frank Matuszak, 20, both of Middletown are home from college and are volunteering in the borough. On Sunday they signed up to help and brought two friends.

“What ever needs to be done, Whalen said.“It’s just the right thing to do with for the holiday spirit.”

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Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Senator Nellie Pou joined with the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking to host the first Human Trafficking Awareness Day Rally on the steps of the Statehouse [Friday].

“One of our best defenses against this scourge is awareness,” said Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen). “This trade thrives in the shadows, unbeknownst to many, in neighborhoods and businesses right in our own back yards. In addition to toughening our law enforcement approach, we need to educate everyone in order to help rescue the innocent victims of human trafficking, many of whom are women and children.''

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HANOVER — Gov. Chris Christie expressed his unequivocal support for Israel on Tuesday night at the launch of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey in Whippany, saying that as long as he is governor, New Jersey’s Jewish community will have a “big part to play” in the policies of his administration.

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In the largest merger of its kind, two major Jewish federations serving Essex, Morris and Union counties will combine into a single organization next month.

The merger, in the works for more than two years, will join together United Jewish Communities of MetroWest, based in Whippany, and the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey, in Scotch Plains.

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Millburn High School rising senior Matthew Survis was recently honored with a Special Recognition Award presented by the Sister Rose Thering Fund (SRTF) at a student recognition event hosted by the SRTF at Seton Hall University in South Orange.

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NEW YORK (JTA) – Two Jewish federations in New Jersey are merging in what is being described as the largest federation merger in history.

The United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ, which has about 100 employees, is merging with the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey, which has more than a dozen, on July 1, becoming the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ. The two federations’ catchment areas are contiguous.

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United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ (UJC MetroWest) and the Jewish Federation of Central NJ (JFCNJ) are merging to become the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ (Federation), effective July 1. It is the largest merger of two active federations in the history of the organized federation system.

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Three Million and Counting! The PJ Library, an international literacy program for Jewish preschoolers, celebrated a major milestone this week when founder Harold Grinspoon delivered and read the organization’s 3 millionth free Jewish children’s book—Noah’s Swim-a-thon—to PJ Library family Cindy and Neil Goldstein and their children, Jordana, 6, and Ryan, 8, at their home at in Livingston, NJ.

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In response to Aref Assaf’s April 16 op-ed (“On Israel trip, Christie should not have skipped a visit to Palestine”), I’m sorry his mother has lived in a refugee camp for decades. Yet a Palestinian state could already exist if Palestinian leaders had accepted Israeli peace proposals from the Barak and Olmert governments. Israel is still waiting for the Palestinian Authority to show up for peace negotiations.

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With more older adults aging in their own homes, a number of naturally occurring retirement communities have evolved in New Jersey --essentially neighborhoods or apartment buildings where long-time neighbors are growing old together. more

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