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One Minute With... Lila Schwartz By Libby Barsky Name: Lila Schwartz Occupation: Retired career counselor for Middlesex County College for 14 years and Jewish Family and Vocational Services for 14 and a half years Address: Highland Park Family: Married almost 55 years to Al, a retired chemical engineer. Has three married daughters: Judy, a preservation program specialist for the Council on Historic Preservation, is married to Morris Rodenstein, executive director of a non-profit agency. They live with their children--Sarah, 18, and Asaf, 16, in Silver Spring, Md. Debbie, a middle school math teacher, is married to Robie Smith, an MRI technician. They have two children--Jocelyn, 19, and Alex, 17, and live in Louisville, Ky. Susan, a CPA, is married to Steve Parris, also a CPA and lives with son Danny, 10, in Huntingdon Valley Penn. Brother David Sarett ,a widower and a retired musician, lives in Lake Worth, Fla. Community Activities: Chaired the Soviet Jewry Council of the Federation of Greater Middlesex County, coordinating all advocacy programs on behalf of the Refuseniks and meeting with them in 1989 in the Former Soviet Union. Instrumental in settling Refuseniks in the area by getting them into ESL classes, training in job-seeking skills, licensure in their skills, and exposing them to employers. A four-generation life member of Hadassah, founding Franklin Hadassah; (which became part of the Raritan Valley Chapter) has served in many capacities, including being president. Currently acts as Associates Chair. Area Vice-President, Leadership Training Chair, Life Membership Chair, and currently co-chair of the Myrtle Wreath Luncheon for Southern N.J. Region Board of Hadassah. Longtime member of Highland Park Conservative Temple /Anshe Emeth and former member of its board of directors and sisterhood. Former member of the board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County. Hobbies: "Reading and travel." Self portrait: "I’m committed to Tikun Olam – repairing the world. I need to make a difference in someone’s life." Motto: "Life is a gift. Use each precious day wisely." Greatest accomplishment: "Raising three wonderful children who are ‘menchen’ to be proud of. Professionally, I was instrumental in the creation and development of the Women’s Career Information Center at Middlesex County College –the first Displaced Homemakers Center in N.J., and also in the creation of the Vocational Department of Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County. Receiving the Youth Aliyah Award in March 2007 from Hadassah and being presented with a proclamation by Mayor Meryl Frank declaring me to be a ‘Distinguished Resident of Highland Park.’" Bad habits: "My need to get things done ‘yesterday.’ I have little tolerance for procrastinators (and I’m married to one)." Favorite TV show: "I watch very little TV, except for specials related to music and dance." Favorite food: "I can’t pick a favorite. I enjoy all well-prepared food." Best Childhood memory: "Going to the Sunday concerts at the Brooklyn Museum with my mother. I loved to sit up close so I could see all the instruments, especially the kettle drum. I also enjoyed the trips with my father to Ebbets Field to see the Dodgers play, and on walks where we’d stop to have a egg cream. Spending Sunday afternoons visiting with my beloved maternal Bubbe and Zaide, and with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I was the eldest grandchild, and always had a special bond with my grandparents. We didn’t do anything special, but enjoyed each other’s company and Bubbe’s culinary delights." People don’t know that I: "Won many bottles of champagne in dance competitions in the Catskills. My girlfriends called me ‘The Mambo Queen.’ At my engagement party, we used the champagne I had won." The last book I read: "Murder in the Kibbutz" by Batya Gur. "This was a fascinating murder mystery and also an in-depth look at the early Kibbutz movement." The biggest asset in the local Jewish communities: "The committed members of Hadassah and Hadassah Associates who care so deeply and give so generously of their time, talent, and funds to keep Israel safe and strong." The biggest problem in the local Jewish communities: "Any dissension with the Jewish Community could be resolved by open and honest dialogue. Looking for commonalities instead of differences would go a long way toward creating a more united and harmonious Jewish Community." If I had more time: "I would love to do some more traveling." |