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Nine years ago, Mark Hilton, who then was a resident of Union, saw the various ethnic fairs around his hometown -- Greek, Irish, Italian, etc. -- and thought: "Why couldn't there be a Jewish fair?"

Shortly after approaching the Tri State Region B'nai B'rith Group, Hilton's idea became a reality and this Sunday, Nov. 22 the annual Jewish Fair & Expo will be held at the Union YM & YWHA for the eighth straight year.

The event is sponsored by both the Union YM-YWHA and the Tri State Region B'nai B'rith Group with additional assistance from Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael of Springfield and Congregation B'nai Ahavath Shalom of Union.

Though Hilton has since moved to Somerset, he has stayed on as one of the chairs of the fair committee and is continuously impressed by the ability of the various Jewish organizations to join together to create a joint project like the annual Jewish Fair & Expo.

"It's great that two Jewish organizations can come together," he said. "You don't see that that often."

Jani Jonas, the program director at the YM-YWHA, echoed that sentiment.

"The greatest strength of the program is for the ability of the organizations to come together so that the community can celebrate their heritage, culture, and traditions," she said.

The fair will feature vendors of Judaica, Jewish art, health and beauty products, jewelry, and clothes -- all just in time for Hanukkah. Jewish non-profit organizations will also have tables to disseminate information about their respective groups. Kosher wine tasting and raffling of kosher wines as well as kosher foods and snacks will also be available and musical entertainment will be provided by the klezmer band the Hester Street Troupe and singing by the local Jewish Educational Center choir.

"Each year, it's not just a flea market, its much more than that," Hilton said.

"What is nice is when I see people walk in and see other people that they haven't seen in years and reconnect," Jonas said, "To be a central place to meet up, that's the goal. We want it to be comfortable for everyone to come."

The fair offers activities for all age groups. Trinitas Hospital will be on hand for health screenings for seniors. For kids, Gizmo the Clown will entertain with his magic and balloons and the Highland Park Art Studio will be on hand for face painting.

Additionally, each year the fair has a theme with this year's being "Jews in Entertainment." Moshe Schreiber, a Jewish educator, will deliver a talk entitled "Is Jewish humor really funny?" at 11 a.m. and Dr. Dennis Klein of Kean University will speak about "The history of the Jews in the motion picture industry" at 1 p.m.

The fair's organizers say that the appeal of the annual event is that it exists solely for providing an outlet for the Jewish community of Union and the surrounding areas.

"The fair is not really done as a fundraiser," Hilton said, explaining that the revenue from the fair was very modest considering the number of hours that went into the planning. "It's for Jews to come out and celebrate Jewish ethnicity and culture. It's done for the community."

"We are not looking for any money," Jonas said. "We just want to be able to cover costs and continue our program. Our goal is not to disappear."

The fair is free and open to the public and will take place on Sunday, Nov. 22 at the Union YM & YWHA, 501 Green Lane, Union, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.