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The East Brunswick Jewish Center held their second annual Purim Gala Dinner March 14, where longtime members Sherryl and Mickey Kaufman received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Many people attended the dinner to honor the Kaufmans, some of whom included friends from the shul, families from Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley, members of the American Hungarian Foundation, members of Hadassah, Mickey's poker buddies, and local dignitaries.

Prior to the dinner, Mickey told The Jewish State he and his wife were extremely honored to be the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award. He said they have been members of the EBJC for 29 years and have been dedicated to the shul every year.

"The shul is very important for us and we've supported it for a long time," Mickey said. "We were active in a number of different ways."

Mickey said he is a former president of the shul and his wife served on many different committees. In 1987, Sherryl became a bat mitzvah here as an adult, he said. Also, they have attended Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services since they joined the shul and are regulars at Shabbos services on Saturday mornings.

"I helped chair the funding for the sanctuary renewal," he said. "We were fiscally responsible because we raised all the money before we spent any of it."

Mickey said that serving as the chairman of the Rabbi Search Committee was a very rewarding process. He said it was a great experience, because everyone in the group came together, listened to each other's ideas, and worked hard to find a rabbi that all agreed would serve the temple the best.

"Of course, we're very happy that Rabbi Benson came to the East Brunswick Jewish Center," Mickey said.

Mickey said there are three memorable experiences that took place at the EBJC. One is when their son, Alex, was bar mitzvahed in 1994, then in 1995 their daughter Amanda became a bat mitzvah, and in 1997 a naming ceremony was held for their youngest daughter Andrea.

"We're committed to this institution," he said. "We view this institution as a very important part of our lives. It's our second home. It's where we come to pray. It's where we come to socialize."

The Kaufmans moved to East Brunswick in 1980 and sent their children to Schechter, therefore many of their friends that they have made over the past 29 years are members of the EBJC or the school, he said.

"It's so wonderful that so many people from different walks of life came here to support this institution, to support our concept of community, and to be with us, which we really appreciate," he said.

Mickey is currently serving his third term as the president of Schechter. Four years ago, he and Sherryl co-chaired a similar dinner at which they honored their good friends Aimee and Jerry Ostrov. Mickey, who emigrated from Hungary to America in 1956 with is parents, who were both Holocaust survivors, is also a member of the New Brunswick-based American Hungarian Foundation. He is currently the assistant general counsel of Johnson & Johnson.

Sherryl is a life member of Hadassah who has been active in the East Brunswick Chapter since 1981 and was co-president from 2002-04. In 2005, she was the recipient of the Eshet Chayil Woman of Valor Award from the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County as the East Brunswick Chapter honoree. After serving as the membership vice president and life membership chair, she is currently the executive vice president of the Southern N.J. region of Hadassah. In 2006, she and Mickey became Hadassah Centennial Founders.

Amanda, who is 28 years old and is an editorial supervisor at Edelman Public Relations in Manhattan, said she and her siblings are extremely proud of their parents because they have dedicated their lives to the Jewish community, and specifically the temple.

Steve Schonfeld, the husband of temple co-president Amy Schonfeld, presented them with the award. They have done a great deal for the shul and the Jewish community, he said.

"The Kaufmans are truly extraordinary people who bring to life those they touch and the community in which they live," Schonfeld said.

Members of the Rabbi Search Committee saw how hardworking and dedicated the Kaufmans are to being Jewish and the shul, he said. Also, for the past 29 years at the EBJC, Mickey is known for being "the negotiator."

"Anyone who ever served on a committee with Mickey, would have no doubt as to how Mickey achieved all his success," he said. "These two talented individuals who we honor tonight have held it together to become a dynamic force in leadership, selflessness, and accomplishment."

Sherryl said the award reflects upon their efforts in volunteering, which has always been something that the two of them enjoy.

"Only when we recognize people as individuals and respect and appreciate each one of them, are we doing justice," Mickey said. "And only then do we raise the level of our activities to something worthy and form a community."

Norm Sorkin, a member of the EBJC and a close friend of the Kaufmans, said there is no one more deserving of this award than them. Sorkin is one of the original people who started playing poker at the EBJC 20 years ago on Monday nights with Mickey.

"They have been the mortar that has held the shul together," he said.

Ostrov, a former president at EBJC, said he and Mickey worked together at Johnson & Johnson and their wives are both active in Hadassah. They are spectacular people who understand that life is truly about giving, he said.

"They know how to organize people, how to get things done," Ostrov said. "It's much more than money, its leadership, and getting people to understand what needs to be accomplished."