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Name: Rabbi Royi Shaffin

Occupation: Rabbi of Temple Beth Or, Brick

Address: Brick

Family: Married for six years to Shoshannah, who previously worked with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria writing curricula and leading youth trips on service projects for rebuilding communities in Israel. Three daughters: Netanya, 3, and twins Elianna and Kinneret, 3 months. Sister Maor Shaffin lives in Stanford, Calif. and brother Ori Shaffin recently graduated from University of California-Davis. Parents Reuven and Hannah live in Los Angeles.

Community activities: Visits the sick and homebound; active in the local Brick Interfaith Ministerium; and an active member of AIPAC.

Hobbies: "I enjoy traveling, playing basketball, swimming, going to the theatre, especially Broadway and seeing good films, trying out Kosher restaurants, reading particularly about biblical archeology and reading material in a variety of languages -- English, Yiddish, and Hebrew -- and spending time with my family."

Self-portrait: "I'm outgoing and someone who always has a positive outlook on life and jokes around, helps people through serious problems. I'm someone who you'd like to meet at a party because I always have something to talk about with everyone. I will always. I enjoy music from the '50s, '60s, and '80s and am particularly fond of cantorial music."

Motto: "The world stands on three things: on the Torah, on worship, and acts of loving kindness"; "It's a big mitzvah to always be happy," and from the book of Ruth, "Your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God."

Greatest achievement: "My family."

Bad habit: "I am demanding of myself and demanding of others, and sometimes my expectations are not realistic on either account."

Favorite TV show: " 'The Naked Archaeologist' on History International and 'Star Trek'."

Favorite food: "It's a toss-up between schwarma and Chinese."

Best childhood memory: "Being lifted up on my father's shoulders to see the Electrical Street Parade in Disneyland. All the Disneyland characters came out with lights."

People don't know that I... "Once acted as a bodyguard for Prime Minister Netanyahu during his first term when he was scheduled to speak at a Jewish federation event in New York. They have a certain amount of security and they were short. I was working on the planning of this event, and I have Israeli citizenship, which all security guards for the President needed."

Last Book I read: "Joshua's Altar" by Milt Machlin and Randy Ladenheim-Gil. "The book is about the archaeological discovery of the altar on Mt. Eval in Israel that dates back to Joshua's time. It was probable that it was the Israelites at that time who constructed this altar at the time of their entrance into Israel. And this may be the first shrine to the God of Israel. The archaeologist who did the excavation was Adam Zertal."

The biggest asset in the local Jewish community: "Temple Beth Or, which is very haimish. It's impossible to walk into this building and not be greeted warmly and feel like you belong here. People are very concerned about each other. In good and bad times, the community is always with every member of the community. It's a very cohesive community. Being in this location also give access to Lakewood and Deal and their resources for shopping and eating in kosher restaurants."

The biggest problem in the local Jewish community: "Money. This community has been hit hard by this recession."

If I had more time I would: "Help my wife with the babies. I'd also love to spend more time in study, and eventually get a doctorate in biblical archaeology."