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One Minute With David Gronlund-Jacob
April 11, 2008

Name: David Gronlund-Jacob

Occupation: Principal of Temple Emanuel, Westfield, Religious School

Address: Highland Park

Family: Married 27 years to Judy, who is Director of PACS and teleradiology for University Radiology Group. They have a son, Noah, a history major at Rutgers University; and a daughter Sarah, who is attending Simmons College in Boston, Mass.

Brother Neil is a locksmith who is married to Rosemary and lives in Pennsylvania. Sister Laurie Griffith is married to Jim Griffith and they both work in the Finance in N.Y.C. They have two boys, Daniel and Ian, and live in Short Hills. Parents Sandy and Elaine Jacob live in Clearbrook in Monroe.

Community Activities: Teach and volunteer at Anshe Emeth Memorial in Temple New Brunswick and teach, volunteer, and fundraise for the Urban Mitzvah Corps — a Jewish residential high school in New Brunswick during their six-week summer program for high school juniors and seniors. During the daytime they work in soup kitchens and work with special needs children at Camp Daisy. In the evening they have classes.

Hobbies: "Taking our year-old English springer spaniel, Caleb, on walks, and watching the Yankees play baseball on TV."

Self-portrait: "I see myself as very connected to my Judaism and I work to help others find theirs."

Motto: "We need to find the Torah within ourselves."

Greatest Accomplishment: "Giving up my career in sales and taking the GREs in order to go back to school to get my graduate degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College in New York City at the age of 45. I completed the course in two years."

Bad Habits: "I'm a procrastinator, but I'm working on it."

Favorite TV Show: "Watching the Yankees baseball games."

Favorite food: "Chicken. I don't have a favorite recipe; I like them all. I haven't met a bad chicken (meal) yet."

Best Childhood Memory: "Going back to Camp Woody Lake in upstate New York, and reconnecting with my friends every summer from the age of 10 to 15. When I was younger — 4 or 5 — my best memory was helping my grandfather at his gas station. The station is still there on the corner next to the University Radiology office in Metuchen. I don't remember what I did, but I remember the cars pulling in and pulling out."

People don't know that... "I can play guitar. It's mostly folk music. It's my secret that I can play the guitar."

Last book I read: "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students who took Vegas for Millions" by Ben Mezrich. "It's nonfiction about a group of six students who work together playing blackjack and in less than two years beat the system for 3 million and live to instruct others in the system. The movie called ‘21' is opening this month."

The biggest asset in the local Jewish communities: "Our diversity. We run a full range of Judaism in this community."

The biggest problem in the local Jewish communities: "Our diversity is also our biggest problem."

If I had more time... "I would spend more time in art galleries and museums."