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Name: Ira Rosen

Occupation: Project Manager on Educational Assessment for McGraw Hill

Address: Highland Park

Family: Married 18 years to wife Heidi. They have five children: Batsheva, 15; Eli, 13; Rikkie Lee, 10; Josie, 7; and Andi, 1. Brother Daniel is married to Julie and they live in Teaneck with their two children. Sister Nomi is married to David Swidler and lives in Jerusalem with their three children. Parents Richard and Phyllis live in Mt. Vernon, N.Y.

Community Activities: A member of Congregation Ahavas Achim in Highland Park, where he was chairman of their recent third annual cholent contest. Conducts blood drives four or five times a year with an arrangement to have a bloodmobile in his driveway for donors to give blood on a Sunday. On March 15 1-5 p.m. at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva he will be helping to conduct a Red Cross blood drive during the Health Fair hosted by Bikur Cholim of Raritan Valley County in conjunction with St. Peter's University Hospital. Hobbies: "I'm a reasonably bad drummer and a worse guitarist."

Self-portrait: "I'm a traditional nonconformist. People will say, 'He's that guy in the cowboy hat.' I also wear boots and a string tie. I'm a person who takes everything with a large grain of salt."

Motto: "I quote what Curley Howard, member of the Three Stooges says: 'Nyuck, nyuck nyuck'."

Greatest Accomplishment: My five kids.

Bad habits: "My irreverence. People don't appreciate me for my irreverence."

Favorite TV: "The Discovery Channel and the programs 'How It's Made' and 'Myth Busters'."

Favorite food: Pizza

Best childhood memory: "I remember sitting in a tree with my father in the front lawn in Texas when my father was in the Air Force and I was 2."

People don't know that I... "Am religious and don't realize how frum I am until they know me. All my kids are students at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva."

Last book I read: "One Above and 7 Below, A Consumer's Guide to Orthodox Judaism from the Perspective of the Chareidim," by Yechezkel Hirshman.

The biggest asset in the local Jewish Community: "The people. In many communities, it is the differences that define the community. But in Edison/Highland Park, it's the similarities. I have had many experiences with communities where each shul does their thing on their own. In Highland Park/Edison, it's been completely different. As an example, the Vaad is made up of every rav of every shul in the community. The community organizations are comprised of people from all parts of the community. The synagogues announce all their own events and all the other synagogues' events as well. When Congregation Ahavas Achim had the cholent contest we had contestants from other synagogues, too. People don't separate themselves from other communities. They will say 'I'm a member of this shul and I typically go here but you can find me at other shuls, too,' making the people here atypical."

The biggest problem in the local Jewish Community: "Being judgmental. It's more a part of the larger community, but there is a large amount of judging people by surface rather than getting to know them."

If I had more time I would: "Listen to more music and enjoy my children."