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On Jan. 11, the Orthodox Union inducted East Brunswick native Raizel Garfinkel and longtime N.J. youth leader Rabbi Jonah Lerner into its Ben Zakkai Honor Society. The society, which was founded in 1965 to honor alumni of the National Conference of Synagogue Youth, the youth arm of the Orthodox Union, inducts outstanding alumni into its hall of fame every year at a scholarship reception.

Both Lerner, 31, and Garfinkel, 25, have dedicated their time and effort since teenagers to NCSY programs.

Lerner has been involved in NCSY for two decades. After participating in NCSY as a teenager, Lerner served as the NCSY Kollel summer program director, the Cherry Hill chapter advisor, and now serves as assistant regional director of the New Jersey region.

Rabbi Steven Burg, international director for NCSY, inducted Lerner, calling Lerner his "role model" in NCSY and personal goals.

"When I first came to my position... one of the things that we [Burg and Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, director of New Jersey region] decided to talk about was how we were going to handle New Jersey," Burg said. "We thought that having someone in Teaneck that every once in a while would go down to southern Jersey would be good enough to work with the kids there. And to his credit, Jonah... had a very different idea."

Lerner, along with his wife, Sarah, decided to move to Cherry Hill so they could "literally be with the kids day in and day out, not just have a program with someone one a week who was able to drive the two hours [to Cherry Hill]," Burg said. From his location in southern New Jersey, Lerner is able to oversee and attend programs for hundreds of teenagers hosted by the Englishtown, Highland Park, and Twin Rivers chapters. Under Lerner's leadership, programs in these areas attract teens from all affiliations and backgrounds.

"In fact, we've been thrown out of a few Starbucks -- for good reason!" Burg said about the Latte and Learning program, which gathers teenagers in Starbucks once a week for free drinks and Jewish dialogue. "We're just too large for the store to handle, and it's been actually incredible."

In fact, Burg said, Lerner was so dedicated to his work in NCSY that he would carry an office computer from club to club to do his programs because he did not have a laptop.

"We often say in NCSY that if we try to recruit a teen and a teen can't make it to your program on a Wednesday night... give that teen a call on Thursday and see how they're doing," Burg said. "Well, Jonah's the one sitting outside their school with ice cream, just in case, God forbid, there was any problem."

"From the bottom of my heart, I tell people from all over the United States that if they want to learn how to do kiruv (outreach), they really need to spend some time with Jonah and Sarah, the dynamic duo," Burg continued. "It's absolutely incredible, the amazing amount of teens that are coming out of southern New Jersey going to yeshiva and seminary, and I'm so proud of them."

Garfinkel is a former chapter and regional officer of both the Junior and Senior NCSY student boards. She served as chapter advisor for the Englishtown chapter and is the current director of programming for southern New Jersey.

Glasser inducted Garfinkel as "one of the superstar advisors of the entire NCSY organization."

"In NCSY we talk a lot about events and programs," Glasser remarked about Garfinkel. "We all know that the path to inspiring a Jewish teen to grow in their commitment and their passion for Judaism... is not dependent on a program or an event, but it's all about relationships. We all know that the advisors of NCSY are the true heroes of this organization... and it is the love, care, concern, and guidance of the advisor that ultimately guides the advisor."

Glasser and his family maintain a close relationship with Garfinkel, which began when she was a teen in NCSY and Glasser was the piano player in the band. When Glasser did not make it to an East Brunswick convention in time for Shabbat, he parked his car on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike and walked to East Brunswick. When he arrived, the first student he met was Garfinkel, and the professional and personal relationship between her and the Glasser family was born.

"Throughout the years, Raizel and I have made a close relationship," Glasser said. "She has spent many Shabbosim at my house, as recently as last week. She has become an honorary member of our family because we turn to her as well for guidance and inspiration."

"I cannot possibly describe to you how many NCSYers turn to Raizel Garfinkel with every conceivable question and concern relating to so many points in their life," Glasser continued. "You cannot possibly imagine how many hundreds of hours of conversations Raizel has invested in thousands of teenagers in order to provide a sense of support and a sense of inspiration that is motivating them to move forward in their commitment to Torah and mitzvot."

Glasser ended his address by asking the room to give Garfinkel a standing ovation "in honor of this incredible advisor who represents all of our advisors."

The other inductees at the 13th annual scholarship reception included Rebecca Greene, Philadelphia, and Behnam Dayanim, Silver Spring, Md.