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Congregation Neve Shalom, Metuchen will hold its 19th annual Susy Schwartz Memorial Concert on April 26.

Schwartz was a shul member who died in 1991 of cancer at the age of 47. She served on several committees at the shul and was an energetic volunteer, according to shul members. Immediately after her passing, members at the shul wanted to honor her memory.

Eliot Spack, a friend of Schwartz's and a longtime member of the shul, said she was a devoted member of the congregation who inspired everyone with her hard work and spirit. The temple needed to honor her properly, he said.

"A committee appointed by the board of the shul met to decide and consider a variety of options of how to honor Susy Schwartz's memory," Spack told The Jewish State. "We had a sense of what really inspired Susy, and we know that there were really three loves that Susy had."

Those three, Spack said, were: she supported Jewish youth because she was always young at heart; she loved Israel and even wanted to make aliyah; and she had a passion for Jewish music.

"I remember even being in Israel when Susy was there," Spack said. "She had rented an apartment in the Old City; we were there for Shabbat -- she was just like the Sabbath queen. She was just truly where she wanted to be."

Spack said the shul knew what kind of person she was, but they just had to figure out how to honor her memory. They then decided to create the Susy Schwartz Memorial Scholarship Fund that would finance travel for teenagers to go to Israel, he said. Spack became the chairman of the fund and Aimee Braverman, Berenice Chadowitz, Dina Miller, and Jeffrey Schulman have served on the board with him for the past 19 years.

"We would honor every bar and bat mitzvah at our synagogue by giving them a voucher, which at the time was worth $500 and was called a passport to Israel," he said. "You can apply the value of the money anytime between the 8th grade and your senior year of college."

The teens don't have to go any specific trip, he said. They can go through USY, NCSY, NIFTY, or any other Jewish organizational trip that has an educational component for the trip, he said. Also, the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County would match the $500 for anyone from 8th grade to a senior in high school.

Since the fund began in 1991, the temple has given out 461 passports and 88 have been redeemed for trips to Israel, he said. Recently, the fund increased the amount to $1,000 and the federation did as well. In total, $61,500 has been distributed to the passport program.

"We have had very positive results," Spack said. "They (the teens) come back with very positive feelings about Israel."

When the teens return from their trip to Israel, they speak to the Hebrew school about it and write an article in the temple bulletin about their trip, he said. This allows the congregation to see that the funds are being used properly and the teens are enjoying and benefiting from the fund.

The money that sends the teens to Israel does not come from the temple budget. Immediately after her passing, with the assistance of her family, they held a fundraising drive where many people came to support the cause.

"Then we decided that would be helpful if we had an annual event that would bring attention to the fund and honor Susy's love for Israel and Jewish music," he said. "We would have a featured headline performer at some time in the spring. It was held at a time when kids could attend."

One of the members of the committee knows many Jewish performers and has a personal relationship with them, he said, making it easier to get them to perform. The first concert was held immediately after her passing in 1991. Some of the people that have performed are: Debbie Friedman, David Broza, Danny Maseng, Robyn Helzner Trio, Sam Glaser, Avram Grobard, and many more.

"Every year we have a concert, everyone one of them has been a musical one except for one -- we had a comedian," he said. "We've had anywhere from 200 to 700 people in attendance at these performances."

The majority of the money for the fund comes from the concert and tribute cards, which are year-round, he said. All of this money has been invested so that it may accrue interest and the committee will have money saved for the future.

"Between the tributes, the proceeds of the concert, and the interest that's generated on the investable funds, we fund the program," he said.

Spack said the committee is sending nine teens to Israel this year, but the concert won't raise $9,000, therefore the committee will use the money that is saved to finance the teens. Because the committee invested wisely and was careful with the money they raised, they are able to send many kids to Israel, he said.

"It's a win-win for everybody," he said. "The congregation benefits from having this annual event, which is a wonderful Jewish entertainment experience -- the caliber of the performer of is exceptional. We're making a statement about Israel; we do believe that an Israel experience for a young person is part of his or her identity formation, Jewishly."

Ultimately, the goal of the concert and the fund is for people to remember Schwartz and keep her memory alive, he said. She was an energetic, warm, compassionate, caring person that was always there to help in any way possible.

Rena Kallman, the chairwoman of the concert, said Schwartz was truly one of a kind. She worked on many committees at the shul and, luckily, Kallman said she had the privilege to work on the membership committee with her.

"If you were looking for warmth in a congregation within five minutes of meeting Susy you'll know that this is a place you can call home," she said.

Kallman, who has attended all of the concerts, said five years ago she got involved with the planning of the concerts because she wanted to get in more involved with the synagogue. But, mostly she is chairing the event to honor her friend, she said.

"She wouldn't think mostly about the honor bestowed upon the namesake, she would mostly revel at the great performers that are coming to Neve Shalom to help support," Kallman said.

This year's performer is Peri Smilow. Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door, and $8 if under 18. For information about the concert call (732) 548-2238 ext. 18. Registration deadline is April 19.