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The Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County held its annual phone-a-thon Dec. 7, at the federation's office in South River.

Super Sunday ran from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., during which volunteers called residents seeking pledges for the federation's Annual Campaign. The volunteers ranged from young adults to seniors.

Despite the lagging economy, Super Sunday attracted a strong turnout of volunteers.

"It's the community calling the community - we don't have calls going out from professionals," Federation President Lee Livingston said. "This is people in the community who care about their community calling other people in the community who hopefully care about their community as well."

The event was chaired by seven families: Meryl and Wayne Gonchar; Renee and Stephen Juro; Brenda and Mark Sherman; Ruth and Martin Shindler; Elaine and Gerald Silver; Donna and Ned Webber; Nancy and Paul Zankel; and Tammy and Keith Zimmerman.

Last year, the federation raised $585,000 on Super Sunday, and this year - because of the effects of the economic turndown, their goal was to raise the same amount. They exceeded that number slightly, raising $586,160 this year.

This year, Livingston told The Jewish State, the people need the federation more than ever.

"The other reason that it's important, especially this year, is that we are always helping the most vulnerable people in the community, and this year the needs of the community go beyond that," he said.

Volunteers also ask respondents if the federation - which offers myriad social and philanthropic services - can assist them in any way. Livingston said the community appreciates that the federation doesn't stop working for those in-need even during its most intense fund-raising day of the year.

"I have a stack of cards of people that said 'Yes I do need help,' and I will pass those requests onto the appropriate agency," he said. "We're not only here to ask, we're here to help as well."

Livingston also said he was very impressed with the large amount of young adults that volunteered, and that the youth turnout at Super Sunday speaks well of the growth and future of the Jewish community of Middlesex County.

"I don't know if I was a teenager, that I could get on the phone and ask people for money; I had a hard enough time calling a girl and asking her out on a date," he said.

Susan Antman, the associate executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County, said Super Sunday was an important day for the Jewish community that was filled with dedicated, hard-working people with big hearts.

"It is a testimony to the great people in the community," Antman said.

Marty Shindler of East Brunswick said he and his family first got involved in the federation when he and his wife went on the federation's 10-day trip to Israel this past July. He hadn't been there in 26 years, and his wife, Ruth, had never been there.

"We got to see what the federation does in the sister city Arad," Ruth said, referring to the Israeli city the federation works with directly through the Partnership 2000 program. "We did an action-packed tour from morning to night, but it was filled with some of the things the federation does - we got to see an absorption center for the Ethiopian immigrants that come there."

The Shindlers also said the federation paved the way for their son to go to a Jewish sleep-away camp for the first time this past summer.

Sandy Lenger, a campaign co-chair who has attended many Super Sundays, said she was very proud of the amount of people that volunteered.

"This is a wonderful program that gave away 50 grants of $1,000 to [children] who, for the first time, went to a Jewish sleepaway camp," Lenger said.

Lenger said the economy is causing many problems throughout the world and the Jewish federation hopes to raise as much money as possible for those in the Jewish community who are feeling the squeeze.

"We have to support our people, there's so many needs, especially now," she said.

Alex Lass, a resident of East Brunswick, was one of the youths volunteering and said it was a very fun experience.

"Federation is a great organization, but specifically how it pertains to me, this summer, I went on USY Israel pilgrimage, and they gave me a donation that was very generous, and without it I probably wouldn't have been able to go myself," Lass said.

He said helping out on Super Sunday was his way of paying back the community for what they did for him.

"I think that a lot of the community really joined together today - you see a wide spectrum of ages, and I think it shows how the federation really does affect people of all ages, not specific to one group of people, but they really do try to branch out to everybody," Lass said.

Rabbi Yaakov Hillsenrath, a resident of Highland Park and former rabbi of Highland Park Conservative Temple-Congregation Anshe Emeth for 30 years, said he was there volunteering because it was important to help the federation.

"The federation is the one place that everyone in the Jewish community needs: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, not affiliated," Hillsenrath said. "And we all meet because we have an obligation to be concerned with Israel and the American Jewish community. It's really the one place where the entire community comes together. It's the only place where the entire Jewish community comes together."

The rabbi said the federation's commitment isn't just to the Jewish people in Middlesex County, but to Israel as well.

"I think it's our responsibility to help the federation to raise the kind of funds necessary to support both Israel and the local needs of the Jewish community," he said.

Rabbi Robert Wolkoff of B'nai Tikvah in North Brunswick said he felt a great sense of the community coming together at Super Sunday.

"One of the things that has been really nice is, here they really encourage rabbinic involvement," Wolkoff said. "There's something very beautiful about this."

Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said Super Sunday was great for the Jewish community.

"When you call people, they are willing to do even more because times are tough," Pallone said.

Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein (D-14) said as an elected official, supporting the Jewish community is very important to her. Even in tough economic times, people are committed to helping each other and raising money, she said.

Assemblyman Peter Barnes (D-18) said growing up in Edison, he went to school with many members of the Jewish community, and that supporting that community is a priority for him.

"The jolt of losing wealth makes people more aware of those less fortunate, makes them more aware of people that struggle everyday," Barnes said.

Rabbi Bennett Miller of Anshe Emeth in New Brunswick said he came to support the federation on Super Sunday because he feels the work they do is vital for the Jewish community.

"The Jewish federation campaign is important, it helps sustain important and necessary programs locally and abroad," Miller said.

Miller said its wonderful how there were so many children and young adults volunteering, but, more importantly, the federation is essential to the continued strength of the Jewish community,

"As one of my teachers once said, this is especially true for Jews, we are not generous because we're rich; we're rich because we're generous," Miller said.